11 January 2023 , 23:20
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A couple issued a warning about the dangers of buying gas heaters on eBay after their attempts to save money on heating bills led to disaster.
Sharon and Ray Baines had to act quickly to get their new heater out of their home before it exploded "like a bomb" and sent a "fireball" into the sky.
Luckily, the couple's evasive action limited the damage to their home in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, but firefighters said if it hadn't been for their quick thinking the heater could have "taken the roof off".
The incident took place on Tuesday morning, while 68-year-old Ray had been taking the dog for a walk.
He had turned on the new stove to warm the house up for when Sharon came downstairs, but upon his return at about 7.30am, he noticed that the flames had climbed much higher than they should have been.
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The propane canister exploded into a fireballRay was able to drag the appliance into the back garden and attempted to put out the growing flames with a hose.
The couple quickly called the fire brigade and alerted their neighbours to the fire, but the propane canister then exploded outside the property, just meters away from where people were standing.
The terrifying blast was captured on CCTV as it sent a bright fireball up into the air.
Explaining the incident, Sharon told Stoke on Trent Live: "It was a new one I'd bought off eBay, we had one of those self-fill bottles. We'd filled it up two or three times so nothing was wrong with that.
"My husband got up to walk the dog, I was still in bed. He switched it on and let the dogs out, and came back to find the gas wasn't on.
"We noticed that the flames at the front of the fire were getting higher and higher. He realised that the flames were getting worse, and picked it up and took it to the back door.
"He ran back in shouting to call the fire brigade. I dialled 999 and knocked on the neighbours. We were all at the front and there was a massive explosion. A fireball came over the top of the house."
The blast could have been much worse
The heater exploded in their gardenThe huge blast caused damage to the outside of the property, but the couple believes it could have been much worse.
Sharon added: "There was metal from the fire, it ended up at the front of the house. The fire service said if it had been indoors it would have taken the roof off. We were very lucky.
"We had fire inspectors round to look. We'll never know the truth but he thinks it was a faulty fire.
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"We'll need three new windows, fence panels, and the back door but it could have been a hell of a lot worse."
Sharon and Ray had purchased the heater from an eBay seller for £109.99 hoping to save money on their costly heating bills.
"We're getting £400 or £500 bills, we only switch on the central heating when we go to have a bath. We haven't had that on and the bills are still coming in," Sharon said.
But the couple has now warned others to think twice about purchasing a similar heater from eBay after the dangerous incident.