All a mother and her three young children could do was watch on as fire ripped through their home late last night in South Australia.
Authorities believe the blaze was sparked by a scented oil diffuser in one of the bedrooms of the single-storey Aberfoule Park home.
South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) and South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) crews arrived about midnight, managing to extinguish the fast-moving fire, preventing it from spreading to surrounding homes. The inside of the house had been gutted and the damage done is estimated at $350,000.
Firefighters said the incident sent a very important reminder to never fall asleep with a candle burning or a heater on.
According to Real Insurance the most common causes of house fires in Australia are:
Cooking equipment, commonly pots and pans heating, smoking in bedrooms, electrical equipment, candles, curious children grabbing items like matches, faulty wiring, barbecues, flammable liquids such as petrol, kerosene or methylated spirits and lighting (lamp shades and light fittings can build up heat if they are very close to light globes).
