Warning over glass objects on windowsills after fire

A STRABANE native is urging householders to check what they have on windowsills in hot weather, after a glass globe started a fire at her home on a sunny day.

Michelle Hole (née Arbuckle) explained that she made the frightening discovery before leaving her Northampton home in England, last Wednesday morning. The sun’s rays had been magnified through the globe which had, in turn, caused a box of tissues to ignite.

Thankfully, the fire had only started and Michelle was able to extinguish the flames with a jug of water.

“It was a bit shocking,” she admitted.

“It was a packet of tissues sitting on the windowsill and they went up in flames beside the curtains. Thankfully the curtains didn’t catch but the sill and part of the window frame melted.

“Someone was definitely looking out for us that day because I had only gone up the stairs to get dressed for work when I noticed the fire in the bedroom. The best of it is, we had recently had some decorating done and the smoke detectors had been taken down for that. They hadn’t gone back up again.”

Michelle, who works as a retail manager in Northampton, explained that she posted a warning about her experience on social media and has since been telling all her family and friends.

“You hear about things like this happening but you never think they’ll happen to you,” she continued.

“After it happened, I went round the house and removed any glass objects from the windows and I’ve been telling everyone else to do the same, especially now in this extreme heat.

“We were very lucky.”

She reiterated, “Someone was definitely looking out for us.”