A teenager has gone viral after revealing how a simple tealight candle caused a blaze that destroyed her family home.
Seraí Elise Bondswell, 18, was forced to flee as flames ripped through the property in Nottingham on 1 April.
The fire left the house uninhabitable, with most belongings either burnt or badly damaged by smoke, as reported by Need To Know.
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Thankfully, Seraí, her mum Katie, sister Blaise and their dog Luna all escaped unharmed.
But the devastation has left the family starting from scratch.
Seraí said the blaze began when a wax burner malfunctioned.
“My ceramic wax burner exploded causing the tealight candle inside to knock over onto the mirror which immediately went up,” she said.
“I’ve banned candles moving forwards – diffusers or air fresheners only.”
The teen later shared a viral TikTok video rating which of her belongings survived the fire – with the clip racking up more than 705,000 views.
She captioned it: “Goodbye to practically every purchase I made and every gift I received in the past two years ig.”
Items lost included AirPods, YSL heels, souvenirs from her travels, a mirror and her perfume collection.
Recalling the terrifying moment, she said: “We immediately ran out the house and evacuated the surrounding neighbours to prevent them from getting hurt.”
Despite the destruction, a few important items survived – including her passport, Bible and suitcases for an upcoming trip to Jamaica.
She said: “My suitcases for my holiday to Jamaica, my passport and my Bible and prayer book survived.
“I was relieved and in my state of shock and emotional disbelief decided it was somewhat something of a sign.”
In a fundraiser, Seraí described watching her home burn.
She added: “We stood outside our home and watched as flames tore through it – my bedroom at the heart of it all.
“It’s an indescribable feeling, seeing everything you’ve worked so hard for reduced to ashes right in front of you.
“We have lost everything – furniture, clothing, shoes and all the small things that easily slip your mind.”
The family has since been placed in temporary accommodation as they try to rebuild their lives.
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