A couple have described how their dream Spanish honeymoon ended in "disaster" after a fire at their holiday apartment.
Clare and Andrew Carr say they forked out £1,770 for their 19-day holiday so she could recover from her treatment for a brain tumour, when the fuse box in the Fuerteventura flat they were staying in caught alight.
The couple has hit out at Jet2, who they booked their holiday with, claiming they refused to take responsibility for the newlyweds' ruined trip.
They also claimed they have ignored requests to send an up-to-date fire certificate to cover the apartment's safety.
A spokesperson from Jet2 says the hotel "complies with local health and safety requirements".
The couple say their holiday from hell began three days after arriving in the Canary Islands from Newcastle Airport, when Andrew popped into the shops alone.
Clare, 46, was left home alone.
She said: "The lights began to flicker and then there was an almighty bang and I could see that the fuse box, which was behind the entrance door, was on fire and fuses inside it was exploding.
"Because of where the fuse box was, I could not use the door, so I ran onto the balcony and shouted for help before I rang Andrew.
"Two guests from downstairs heard my yells and ran to ask reception to call the emergency services."
Andrew, 49, ran back to the apartment and found Clare stuck behind the apartment door.
She says she couldn't jump down because she was on the second floor.
She added: "It was awful for Andrew because he could see the state I was in and couldn't do anything to help me until he had the idea of standing on a chair and a barman climbed on his shoulders up to my balcony, grabbed a towel and ran me out the apartment past the burning fuse box.
"The whole thing was absolutely horrific, and our ordeal carried on, like the room, we were moved to had no smoke alarm, which completely freaked us out after what I had just been through, so we spent the night terrified the same would happen again and coughing because of the smoke inhalation."
When Clare got medical attention the next day it was found she had bronchitis, and she claims she was required to take two lots of medication and three days of nebulisers.
She visited the medical centre for five days of their holiday.
However, the couple says the last straw came after they moved rooms for a second time and claim the kettle tripped in their room.
Clare said this caused her to panic and have flashbacks to being trapped on the balcony.
Clare, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September 2020, said: "Andrew and I have enough going on in our lives without this happening.
"We paid Jet2 £1,770 for the holiday, without spending money, and it was not the holiday we had booked, looked forward to or paid for. This was meant to be a break for us after the terrible time we have had, and a late honeymoon because I couldn't go on a proper honeymoon as I was in the middle of chemotherapy when we got married. Instead, it was a complete disaster.
"We have lost lots of days dealing with the fire, cleaning all of our things, washing our clothes, and attending the medical centre. I am very weak from the cancer treatment and having bronchitis so my husband had to do everything, so it was far from a break for him.
"Three months later, I am very traumatised by the whole incident, It has affected my sleep and I need to make sure I am by a door so can escape if I need to."
On the couple's return, they contacted Jet2 about their ordeal and said they were disgusted when the company only offered a £300 voucher.
A Jet2 spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear about Mr and Mrs Carr's experience and would like to apologise for any upset caused.
"Our teams did all they could to support Mr and Mrs Carr, after the fuse box tripped causing a small fire limited to the fuse box with smoke being produced.
"This included assisting them in moving rooms, arranging medical assistance, cleaning their clothes and completing regular welfare checks.
"The health and safety of our customers will always be our number one priority and following a thorough investigation, we can confirm that the hotel complies with local health and safety requirements. We have provided Mr and Mrs Carr with a goodwill gesture in light of this experience.”
Clare claims Jet2's response isn't enough.
She said: "Luckily Andrew and I are tough, we have been through so much. I have been told that my tumour will come back and it will shorten my life, so we are just trying to live each day to the fullest and experience as much as we can while I am able.
"We were regular Jet2 customers - we would normally have two holidays a year - but this has made us so angry. The company just doesn't seem to have any empathy at all."
