A pregnant mum who lost everything in a horror house fire has warned people to be vigilant when using candles after discovering a single tealight caused a devastating blaze in her home.
Cathrine Doyle warned people of the dangers after a tealight left unattended for five minutes started a fire in the living room - spreading to the kitchen, bathroom and roof.
The 29-year-old had been out with a friend when her frantic partner told her to get home quickly and when she arrived at the flat in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, she noticed several fire engines.
Luckily, her boyfriend and youngest son made it out of the house safely, the Manchester Evening News reports.
The blaze completely destroyed the flat and all of the family's new baby clothes and essentials. Cathrine, who is 32 weeks pregnant, even feared the stress had caused early labour as she had to be rushed to hospital just days after the fire.
The terrifying incident happened on Thursday, June 1, after Cathrine had gone to meet a friend and left her partner and son at the flat.
She had lit a tealight earlier that day to make her living room smell 'fresh,' and had then hung some towels to dry outside on her balcony a short distance away. It's believed that one of the towels was set alight by the candle.
"My partner tried putting it out himself by throwing water on it but it was so warm outside it didn't work," Cathrine said, speaking to the MEN.
"He started panicking so got my son out of the house. At first it wasn't clear how bad the fire was but when they looked up they realised the loft was on fire and it was uncontrollable. There were four or five fire engines and it took around four hours for them to put the fire out. At 8pm there were still hot points all over the flat."
Most of her belongings were unsalvageable due to the toxic fumes emitted by the fire and she was only able to rescue a few important documents.
She said: "It could have been a lot worse and we are all safe that's the main thing, but we've lost all our white goods, furniture, electrical items and clothes. We're due a baby in six weeks and we've lost all the stuff we just bought.
"Our life has been ripped apart. My son is only six. It's a traumatising experience for an adult so I can't imagine what's going through his head. He keeps asking when we're going home.
"I just want to raise awareness that a tealight can literally turn your life upside down.
"We left the candle unattended for five minutes but we were still in the house.
"It's just so upsetting. We've not been sleeping properly. When you've got to tell people it's like you're constantly reliving that moment.
"I ended up in hospital last week because they thought I was going into early labour. Luckily I wasn't but it's just how much it can affect you - the amount of stress it causes.
"You see this happening all the time but you never expect it to happen to you. I don't have home insurance either.
"I just want to put the message out there about how dangerous candles can be. You never know when something like this is going to happen to you."
Cathrine is currently staying with her two sons at her brother's house whilst she waits for her local council to find her suitable temporary accommodation.
Friends have set up a Gofundme page to help support the family get back on their feet, and be able to afford new supplies and clothes for the children.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 3:45pm on Thursday 1 June we received a report about a fire at an apartment on Wisbech Drive, Manchester, involving candles on a balcony and affecting a first floor bedroom and roof space of the property.
"Three fire engines from Wythenshawe and Altrincham fire stations were quickly at the scene, where they were joined by crew from Marple and a hydraulic platform from Manchester Central. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire using three hose reels and used the hydraulic platform and a ladder to gain access to the roof and damp down any hotspots.
"Two people were clear of the property when crews arrived, and they received precautionary checks from North West Ambulance Service paramedics. Crews remained at the incident until the evening."
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