A mother has issued a stark warning about the dangers of fairy lights – after her home was destroyed by a blaze which caused a staggering £55,000 of damage last Christmas.
Sue Noonan 56, and her husband, Tony, 55, along with their two sons, were lucky to escape with their lives, but had to move out of their home in Wallasey, Merseyside and spend Christmas in temporary accommodation.
'We lost everything; Christmas presents, furniture, some clothes. But what hurt most was losing all the photos and sentimental items. They were irreplaceable,' Sue said.
'It was devastating. Poor Tony came home from work and found his house in ruins. It was very difficult to take in.
Tony, 55, and Sue Noonan, 56, have vowed not to hang any Christmas lights in their home for fear of it happening again
The fire caused £55,000 worth of damage at the home of Sue and Tony Noonan last year leaving them homeless
Faulty Christmas fairy lights completely destroyed one family's home when a huge blaze broke out
The clinical support worker said: 'It was a horrific experience. If we'd all been asleep in bed, we could have been dead.
'I was in the house at the time but the fire took hold so quickly and our home was destroyed in minutes.
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Share'The fire service told us that the cause of the fire was our Christmas lights which were next to the chair. In the past, we've always had lots of Christmas lights. But this year, we won't have any. I want to warn people how dangerous they can be.'
The fire started on December 9 last year, whilst Sue was in the house on her own, busy cleaning the kitchen.
Walls melted, ceilings and floors were smoke damaged and it took six month before the family could move back in
The fire started on December 9 last year, whilst Sue was in the house on her own, busy cleaning the kitchen
Sue said she was heartbroken when she was able to go back in her house and see the amount of damage caused by the faulty lights
The smoke alarm went off and when Sue went to find out why she saw her husband's armchair blazing with flames
She says: 'We had lots of fairy lights up in the living room and, as it grew dark, I switched them on and went back into the kitchen.
'The smoke alarm in the hall started screeching and I thought it must be a fault, because of course I was in the kitchen and there was nothing switched on.'
But as Sue went into the living room, she saw Tony's armchair, blazing with flames.
She says: 'In a panic I grabbed a cushion and tried to put it out, but it was no good. I realised it was too serious.'
The fire ripped through their house which meant they lost everything, from presents, furniture and clothes
Sue fled from the house, screaming for help. Her neighbours called the fire brigade but the house was already badly damaged.
She says: 'When we were finally allowed to go back inside, it was heart-breaking. The living room was black. The ceilings had actually collapsed. There was smoke damage all over the house. The patio doors had melted. Every single window was cracked.'
'I make my own cards and jewellery and all my craft work was burned to a cinder.
Tony in front of their Christmas tree from a previous festive season. Sue has said she will never hang fairy lights again
Sue and Tony went to stay with her sister and her husband, Pauline and John Phillips. And on Christmas Eve, they were moved with their two sons, Sean, now 21, and Adam, 20, into temporary accommodation.
Their list of items lost in the fire was so long it stretched over 31 A4 pages.
Sue says; 'It was hard spending Christmas away from home. We had nothing, no furniture, hardly any belongings - and it was Christmas Eve.
'Tony spent Christmas Eve driving around second hand shops with a rented van, looking for beds and a table and chairs.
Ceilings collapsed with damage and the walls had to be re-plastered, the family couldn't move back in for half a year
Tony had returned home from work to see his house destroyed. The family went to stay with Sue's sister and her husband, Pauline and John Phillips
Sue explained: 'We didn't overload the plug board and we didn't have dodgy wiring. It was just a fault that could have happened to anyone, at any time'
'It was dreadful. But I couldn't help feeling relieved that we were all safe. It could have been so much worse.'
The family were in rented accommodation for almost six months whilst their house was re-plastered and ceilings and windows were replaced.
Now safely back home, the family are looking forward to Christmas – but with no fairy lights.
Sue says: 'It's hard to believe that a set of lights could cause that much damage and distress.
Sue fled from her house after the fire broke out and her neighbours called the fire brigade but the house was already badly damaged
The family have now moved back into their home and are looking forward to this Christmas this year and is hoping their dreadful experience is a warning to others
'We've always been very careful and safe with our lights. Tony works as a steel erector and so he knows all about safety.
'We didn't overload the plug board and we didn't have dodgy wiring. It was just a fault that could have happened to anyone, at any time.
'I just want to make people aware that this can happen. You should never leave fairy lights unattended.
'We won't be having any lights at all this year. We'll enjoy our Christmas so much more without them.'
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