Diwali drama Family safe after ‘terrifying’ fire on day of festival
ACHELTENHAM mother-of-two who placed tea lights throughout her home for Diwali is thankful her children are safe after a fire broke out.
Kiran Rai went upstairs to find her bedroom desk in flames after placing a tea light candle there for the festival of lights on November 14 – celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.
Mrs Rai, who was also celebrating her 32nd birthday at her home in Stoneville Street, St Pauls, is still in two minds whether the candles were to blame or if it was an electrical fault that caused the fire.
She said: “My guess is it might be from the tea lights as that’s what we put into each room – but each room was fine and I don’t know if it’s from a shortcircuit.”
Mrs Rai, who works as a Tesco checkout operator and is studying early years professional practice, is waiting for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service – which sent a crew from Cheltenham West fire station – to conclude an investigation.
“It was terrifying,” she added. “It was just so scary. I was scared for my daughters.”
Sonia, 12, and Shanaya, 6, ran out of the house barefooted and Mrs Rai had to rush back into the house to retrieve their shoes.
The fire wiped out a year’s worth of her university degree work and her laptop and ipad, which were on the desk next to an array of make-up.
It then swept through the children’s Christmas presents behind the table – the family also celebrate the Christian holiday – and then her bedroom was “incinerated”.
Mrs Rai said the bedroom of one of her daughters was “gone as well” and there was smoke damage to her other daughter’s bedroom.
She added: “We were celebrating my birthday and Diwali. We had done the prayers and we had put the tea light candles in each room. We went downstairs to open my birthday presents and eat our food, then the smoke alarm
Pictures: Kiran Rai went off. We thought it was just from one of the candles. It turned off. We checked the upstairs rooms. It was fine. Then we went back downstairs and the fire alarm went off even more. We went upstairs into my room and saw my back desk was on fire.
“We tried to put it out, but we couldn’t. I tried to save my laptop and my university stuff, but the flames were too hot – I couldn’t do it. I went to open the window, but then I remembered oxygen would make it worse, so I quickly closed it.
“Then there was very thick black smoke, so I had to go on my hands and knees to crawl out the room, and I was just screaming for everyone to get out the house.”
All the personal effects and clothing, such as the girls’ school uniforms, which were not insured, were destroyed during the blaze.
Mrs Rai’s friend has set up a Gofundme page to raise money for the family, while her daughters are staying with their dad. The money will go towards replacing the house flooring because Mrs Rai did not have contents insurance.
Mrs Rai said she would “never” put tea lights around her house again for Diwali, but said her faith had not been knocked.
She added: “I’m just thankful that God saved my kids; that’s all I care about.
“I’m grateful my daughters are safe and sound. My house is just material – I can get that stuff again. If anything had happened to my daughters, I don’t know what I would have done.”