A young mum has claimed “a cup of tea saved her life” as a ferocious fire ripped through her home.
Brittany Blackwell, 22, was driving to her friends for a cuppa when the flames ignited, causing her family home in Kings Lynn, Norfolk to explode on Wednesday February 23.
Now even more shockingly, firefighters have suggested that the mystery blaze could have started from a ray of sunlight refracting onto a curtain and setting it alight.
The young mum had planned to be at home with her two children, Theo, three, and Tiana eight months, but changed her plans 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 built up inside, the pressure created an explosion which blew the roof off in front of horrified neighbours.
But fire crews have been unable to determine the exact cause of the fire, and say it could have simply been a ray of sunlight refracting onto a mirror, Brittany claims.
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.”
The house, which belongs to Brittany’s grandparents, has been in the family for 14 years.
Brittany had been renting the place from her gran since May 2020, with the intention of taking over the mortgage in the coming years.
But the young stay at home mum hadn’t bought contents insurance, explaining that with rising energy bills and the cost of living, it was another cost that she couldn’t afford.
She and her partner have been able to salvage their children’s memory boxes, although the treasured items, including umbilical cords and babygrows, were heavily damaged by smoke and water.
Everything else was completely destroyed, leaving the young family with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Now they have launched a GoFundMe in a bid to replace their white goods, clothes, children’s toys and other essential items.
They estimate they will need £20,000 to rebuild their lives.
Brittany said: “It was going to be my forever home.
“We would never risk losing it because it’s a family house, it’s full of memories even from when I was growing up.
“To see it taken away in a matter of minutes has absolutely destroyed me.”
