A couple have issued a warning over buying gas stoves on eBay to save money after an early-morning explosion rocked their street. Sharon and Ray Baines had to take evasive action to get the heater out of their home in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, before it went off 'like a bomb'.
The drama unfolded yesterday morning (January 10) after Mr Baines, 68, took his dog for a walk and turned on the stove to warm up the house for when his wife came downstairs. But on his return at around 7.30am, he saw the flames on the stove were much higher than they should have been.
The pensioner managed to manhandle the appliance out into the back garden. He even tried to use a hose to douse the flames but to no avail. After calling the fire service, the pair alerted neighbours. And as everyone was standing at the front of the Lambourn Place property, the full canister of propane exploded just metres away with an almighty boom.
CCTV was said to have captured the moment the blast sent a huge fireball into the sky, causing damage to the outside of their property. But Mr and Mrs Baines believe the consequences could have been far worse.
Mrs Baines, 52, said: "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.
"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. We'll need three new windows, fence panels, and the back door — but it could have been a hell of a lot worse."
The pair bought the fire on eBay for £109.99. They had hoped it would save them money on their heating bills, which have been as high as £400 a month despite only switching the heating on when they bathed.
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