The Smithy Family from TikTok has had a lucky escape after their house was allegedly set on fire by two arsonists on Wednesday night (14th July). Nick Smithy has said 'one filmed' while the other set the fire.
During a video of himself talking to the camera inside what was his daughters' bedroom, Nick, scraping the soot off the wall from the smoke, said, addressing whoever was responsible for the alleged arson: "My girls were in this room. But that don't matter to you does it.
"One of you filmed while the other one dunnit. I don't think you realise the consequences of what you've done.
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"It's my little girls' room man. They got it how they want it. I've worked so hard all my life to do the right thing."
Smithy Family house fire
In a video immediately after they escaped the scene, Nick speaking to the camera in the car outside the house said that everybody, even the dogs, were OK and managed to escape, but the 'two people' who he says caused the fire could have killed his family and their neighbours (the family lives in a semi-detatched house).
He said: "We all got out the house okay. The kids are fine - Teddy's fine, Jack and Amy are fine, me and Jess are fine, the dogs are okay."
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Holding back tears, he added: "The house ain't okay. It's unforgivable."
Nick also posted a video of the family home which was glowing orange with flames, and the car on the drive had been damaged beyond repair.
The London Fire Brigade responded to the incident.
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"We were called to reports of a car alight that had spread up the outside of the house," said Sub Officer Tim Sammons, who was at the scene.
"There were a number of mobility scooters parked outside which had caught alight and were producing a large amount of smoke and flames.
"Everyone was out of the building before we arrived, and crews worked incredibly hard to prevent further damage to the inside of the property and to neighbouring properties.
"Our fire investigation dogs also attended to help identify any ignitable substances present."
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The Brigade was called at 22.56 and the fire was under control by 00.30. Fire crews from Bexley, Plumstead and Erith fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.
Nick confirmed during the video that his wife Jess and the kids and dogs had gone to a safe place, meanwhile Nick stayed behind and slept in the car overnight as the fire brigade worked to put out the fire.
In a video update on Thursday morning (15 July), he said: "I got an hour and half's kip outside the house." And even with the damage to his home, Nick couldn't resist greeting the family's followers.
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"I can't not do it [post on TikTok], it ain't not in me to do it," he said. "So good morning beautiful people, I hope you have a good day," he said, before shutting the camera off.
Nick sounded tired and deflated as he sent that quick message out to the family's fans.
Who are the Smithy Family on TikTok?
Nick and Jess Smithy and their kids, Jack, Amelia, Isabella and Teddy are TikTok stars from London.
The Smithy Family TikTok account has over 2.5 million followers, where they post videos of them doing funny things as a family.
The other day, Nick posted a video of the family members modelling the fancy dress costumes they'd bought for each other.
The family is all about spreading a positive message and making people smile with their light-hearted family antics.
The family also does a lot of anti-bullying campaigning.
Fans of the Smithy Family have rallied round to support them and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help them get back on their feet.
In the comments on YouTube underneath the video, people sent their love and support to the family.
One person wrote: "Really don't understand why anyone would do this to this lovely family, they are the most happy family I ever met. His kids are so lucky to have a dad like Nick, he's the best and to people who done this hope u get locked up for life."
Another said: "Why would anybody want to hurt this family it's disgusting."
On TikTok, one person commented: "Maybe now leave social media to protect your family."
Others advised Nick to move somewhere new and start afresh to protect his family.
We'll let you know as soon as we have an update on the incident.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@thesmithyfamilyTopics: No-Article-Matching, YouTube, TikTok