Kent home set on fire by snow globe in the window

Winter sun shining through a festive glass snow globe set fire to curtains in a freak accident.

The globe on the windowsill in Kent acted like a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun beam, sparking the fire.

But the quick action of the homeowner’s son Alex Wozny – who was alerted by smoke alarms – in ripping down the curtains and taking them outside stopped the fire spreading to the family Christmas tree.

Alex, 26, suffered minor burns to his hands and foot, and fire crews advised him to cool his wounds with water before getting checked out at hospital.

‘His actions undoubtedly saved our home’: Alex Wozny, 26, ripped down the curtains and took them outside, suffering minor burns on his hands and foot in the process

The fire broke out in East Peckham in Kent on Tuesday morning.

Dad Paul Wozny was out when the fire started but said: ‘My son, Alex, who was upstairs at the time, heard the smoke alarm sounding on the ground floor of the property and went to investigate.

‘The source of the blaze was not immediately obvious, so he checked each room of the house, before returning to the lounge where he spotted flames coming from the curtains.

‘Alex quickly pulled down the curtains, and ran outside with them before the fire could take hold in the lounge and spread to our Christmas tree.

‘I think he was really brave and his actions undoubtedly saved our home.

‘I dread to think how things would have turned out if we hadn’t had smoke alarms.

‘We would have definitely lost all our Christmas presents and could also have been without a home this Christmas.’

Paul added: ‘The fire crew were very reassuring and very thorough and thankfully Alex is okay, if a little shaken by the ordeal.

‘I would never have imagined that placing a glass ornament on the window sill could lead to such a fire. I will definitely avoid that in the future.

‘It just shows you that a fire can start in your home when you least expect it and it certainly hits home how important it is to make sure your smoke alarms are in good working order.’

Dad Paul Wozny said they could easily have lost all of their Christmas presents and could have been without a home this Christmas if they hadn't had working smoke alarms

Dad Paul Wozny said they could easily have lost all of their Christmas presents and could have been without a home this Christmas if they hadn’t had working smoke alarms

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘It is believed that the fire started on the windowsill and was caused by the heat from refracted sunlight shining from a festive glass snow globe, which then set fire to the curtains.

‘Two fire crews were sent to the scene and firefighters checked the fire was fully out using a thermal imaging camera.

‘The window sill and the window frame was damaged by the blaze, and there was slight damage to the ceiling and wooden floor and sofa in the lounge.’

This fire followed a similar incident in Tunbridge Wells in October when a glass ornament left on the window ledge reflected the sunlight onto curtains.

They started smouldering before catching light and falling to the floor, causing a small amount of heat damage to the back of the sofa.

Luckily a neighbour spotted smoke coming from his friend’s second floor flat window and phoned 999.

The snow globe - which was on the windowsill of their Kent home - refracted sunlight onto the curtains, causing them to catch alight

The snow globe – which was on the windowsill of their Kent home – refracted sunlight onto the curtains, causing them to catch alight

Two fire engines arrived within minutes and found the smoke alarms sounding and the lounge heavily smoke logged.

The resident was out at the time but crews rescued her pet rat.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: ‘Studies have shown that a number of factors need to combine for these fires to occur.

‘There would need to be an item in a position which allows the sun to pass through it or to be reflected by it on to an ignitable item, and this would need to be within the focal plane of that item for it to catch fire.

‘It is difficult to give safety advice to prevent these types of incident, as it would be impractical to remove all mirrored items or glass from your home, but we would ask residents to think carefully about ensuring mirrors and other reflective glass objects are positioned away from direct sunlight.’

She said homeowners should follow guidelines such as considering storing objects such as magnifying glasses, mirrors, spectacles and glass ornaments away from windows, particularly if it is south facing, or covering them when not in use.

They should take extra care during the autumn and winter months when the sun is low in the sky. 

Another precaution that could be taken would be getting into the habit of closing internal doors when leaving home and as part of a bedtime routine, plus regularly testing smoke detectors.



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