Sydney family sees their $60,000 mobile home go up in flames after a crystal ball catches fire

Bet they didn’t see that coming: Family who believe in ‘natural healing’ see their new $60,000 mobile home catch fire after a crystal ball magnified the sun onto a pillow inside

  • A couple spent $60,000 converting a 25-seater bus into a home on wheels
  • A crystal ball was left in the centre console and caught fire from the sun’s heat
  • A neighbour spotted smoke coming from the bus and alerted the owner 
  • The pair put out the small blaze with a fire extinguisher before the RFS arrived  

A family’s newly renovated mobile home caught fire after a crystal ball magnified the sun onto a pillow.

Matt and Melinda Champion, from Elanora Heights in Sydney’s north, spent $60,000 converting a 25-seater bus into a home on wheels.

But their new digs are lucky to still be standing after a crystal ball left in the centre console burnt through the front seat. 

‘Who would have thought a crystal ball would magnify the sun onto a pillow,’ Mr Champion told 7NEWS.

A crystal ball left in the centre console of the bus burnt the front seat’s pillow

Ms Champion purchased the glass ornament after recently getting into 'natural healing'

Ms Champion purchased the glass ornament after recently getting into ‘natural healing’

‘I understand glass magnifies light… it just never clicked for me that that could happen [with a crystal ball].’

Ms Champion purchased the glass ornament after recently getting into ‘natural healing’.

A neighbour spotted smoke coming from the bus and alerted Mr Champion, who  ran down the street and unlocked the doors.

The fire was put out by a fire extinguisher before the RFS arrived to the scene.

After the blaze was put out, Mr Champion checked the bus’ CCTV and noticed the crystal ball had been burning for more than an hour.  

Mr Champion had fortunately parked the bus on a main street where someone could see it and notice the smoke.

Luckily the only items that were damaged was a pillow, Mr Champion’s wallet and a seat belt.

The 33-year-old said his eagle-eyed neighbour was the ‘true hero’ of the incident.  

The couple and their two daughters Jordan, two, and Billie, three, leave next month for a year-long trip around Australia in the bus. 

Matt and Melinda Champion, from Elanora Heights in Sydney's north, spent $60,000 converting a 25-seater bus into a home on wheels

Matt and Melinda Champion, from Elanora Heights in Sydney’s north, spent $60,000 converting a 25-seater bus into a home on wheels 

After the blaze was put out, Mr Champion checked the bus' CCTV and noticed the crystal ball had been burning for more than an hour

After the blaze was put out, Mr Champion checked the bus’ CCTV and noticed the crystal ball had been burning for more than an hour

Luckily the only items that were damaged was a pillow, Mr Champion's wallet and a seatbelt

Luckily the only items that were damaged was a pillow, Mr Champion’s wallet and a seatbelt

‘I’ve now banned them (crystals) from the front of the bus,’ Mr Champion said.  

A home in Wisconsin in the US on Monday suffered $250,000 in damage after a crystal ball caught fire.

The blaze started on a couch in the living room after the glass ornament – which was placed on a table near the lounge in direct sunlight – magnified the sun. 

‘When sunshine came through a large set of windows and through the glass ball, it ignited the couch,’ the Delton Fire Department said.

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