Candle Fire Destroys Mum-of-Four’s Home in Dinas Powys
A devastating candle fire has left a mother-of-four homeless in Dinas Powys
Dinas Powys, Wales, Candle Fire, Chloe Taylor, Home Fire
Chloe, just 25, said she couldn’t do anything to save her house once she realized it was on fire. She feels like she’s lost everything she ever owned. Now, she’s on a mission to warn others about the dangers of candles. She insists they should never be left unattended, not even for a couple of minutes.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, but Chloe has been placed in a hotel by a housing association. Sadly, it could take up to eight months for her home in Dinas Powys to be repaired.
“Your home is everything,” she said. “When something like this happens, you lose it all.”
Chloe was downstairs having dinner when the fire alarms went off. By the time she got upstairs, her whole bedroom was engulfed in flames. She explained that a candle had fallen on her bed, and with a window open, the smoke escaped, delaying the fire alarm.
She felt no fear until she knew everyone was safe. “I told my cousins to go home and call my mum,” she recalled. She quickly called 999 and got her neighbors out of their homes.
The fire brigade arrived in about eight minutes, but by then, the fire had spread. They struggled to find the fire hydrant outside, which made things worse. It took them one to two hours to get everything under control.
Chloe described the upstairs of her home as “unsalvageable.” “All my belongings are ash. I have nothing left,” she said. The damage downstairs is mostly from smoke and water, with only the kitchen being somewhat salvageable.
While losing material things is tough, she’s heartbroken over the sentimental items she can never get back. “We have nothing,” she said.
Chloe has been placed in a hotel, but she could be waiting up to eight months for repairs. “It took me four-and-a-half years to create my home, and now I have to start over,” she shared.
Right now, she feels numb and is still in shock. The bed where the candle fell was bought online, and she now realizes it wasn’t fireproof. She wants to raise awareness about how dangerous candles can be.
“In just two minutes, your life can go up in smoke,” she warned. “I’ve left candles unattended before, thinking it would be fine. But it can happen to anyone. Just blow it out, even if you’re just going to the bathroom.”
Chloe is trying to cope with the shock, and the damage has led her to start a fundraising page to help rebuild her home. She’s been overwhelmed by the support from people wanting to help.
“I’ve been crying non-stop. People have been so generous and caring,” she said. “It’s a tragic accident. A candle can change someone’s whole life in seconds.”