As terrible fire raced through her home, a young mother says “a cup of tea saved her life”

On Wednesday, February 23, Brittany Blackwell, 22, was heading to her friends’ house for a cup of tea when the flames ignited, causing her family’s home in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, to explode.

Even more alarming, firemen have speculated that the mysterious fire may have been sparked by a ray of sunlight refracting onto a curtain and igniting it.

The young mother had intended to stay at home with her two children, Tiana, eight months, and Theo, three, but had to change her plans at the last minute.

She told The Mirror : “I wouldn’t have thought that a cup of tea would have saved my life.

“It’s one of those silly little things that you end up doing that slightly changes your plans.

“If I hadn’t gone round, I would have been home just before the house exploded.

“It feels like a miracle, I feel like my friend saved us by inviting us round.”

As the heat and smoke within intensified, the pressure piled up, causing an explosion that blew the roof off in front of shocked neighbors.

However, fire workers have been unable to pinpoint the actual source of the incident, and Brittany claims that it could have simply been a ray of sunshine refracting off a mirror.

She said: “They said it would have happened in a matter of minutes.

“They have ruled out a gas leak and said it could be as simple as sunlight refracting from a mirror onto the curtains.

“That has made it a lot harder to come to terms with.

“Thinking that something as simple as the sun could rip apart your family home is beyond belief.”

Brittany’s grandparents own the home, which has been in the family for 14 years.

Brittany has been renting the house from her grandmother since May 2020, with the idea of eventually taking over the mortgage.

However, the young stay-at-home mother explained that she couldn’t afford contents insurance because of growing energy bills and the rising cost of living.

Although the precious things, such as umbilical cords and babygrows, were severely damaged by smoke and water, she and her spouse were able to preserve their children’s memory boxes.

The young family was left with nothing but the clothing on their backs after everything else was destroyed.

Image Credit: Mirror

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