A mum has shared a stark warning after a £13 candle her teenage daughter was burning set the family home alight.
Jerri Bosley was left trapped in her room as her 17-year-old daughter helped pull her son, 12, out of his upstairs window and climb down the roof of an extension amid the flames on 3 August, before she was eventually rescued by the fire service.
Following the harrowing ordeal, the former NHS appointments administrator has bravely shared pictures of how the blaze torn through their family home in Taunton, Somerset, to warn others of the danger of burning candles.
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Her daughter Teagan, who bought the candle, was left devastated when she momentarily left one burning in her room, on the ground floor of the Victorian terrace.
Jerri said of the incident: "The whole experience was absolutely terrifying.
"My son looked like Oliver Twist, he was covered in soot, he's still very poorly from the fire and I think he might have a chest infection from all the inhaled smoke.
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"Myself and my children were so very lucky to escape with our lives, but I fear the next person this happens to will not be so lucky."
Jerri was first alerted to the fire by the family's cleaner after the scented candle, which was left unattended for a minute, set a table in her daughter’s room alight before spreading through the house.
She said: "I was in my room when the cleaner shouted up the stairs about there being a fire, I instantly ran downstairs and discovered the fire in my daughter's bedroom. It must have been burning for a minute or two, maximum.
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"I realised my daughter was outside but I knew my son, TJ, was in his room upstairs. I ran back upstairs to get him, but I couldn't get to his room, which was directly above the fire.
"I turned around and was met with a thick black cloud of smoke, it was terrifying, I was trying to shout for my son over the loud crackling and exploding of windows throughout the house.
"I was on the phone to the fire brigade and the woman on the other line, Donna, was amazing she was calming me down and talking me through all these instructions which I was relaying to my son who just couldn't hear me.
"The screaming from his room was harrowing.”
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Following the ordeal, the family were put in touch with their local council regarding emergency housing but as there wasn't available, they have been put in a hotel for two weeks until the council can find something.
Jerri said: "We think the house is going to take at least a year to repair, we're currently in a hotel which the council have put us in until they can find emergency housing for us.
"I really don't want to keep moving the children around, they've already been through enough with the fire.
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"We're in a really horrible position, we are literally relying on people's kindness and I can't tell you how grateful I am for everyone who has helped us, it's so overwhelming.”
Jerri has been left overwhelmed by the love and kindness from her neighbours who have set up a GoFundMe page to help get this familiy's life back on track. They have also had clothes and food parcels donated in their time of need.
Lisa McLoughlin