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Louise Thompson has been left shaken after an ‘absolutely devastating’ fire tore through her mother Karen’s house in the middle on the night.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday, the pregnant star, 31, who is staying at the property while renovations are done on her South West London home, spoke about how ‘thick chemical smoke’ travelled through the house ‘within seconds’ after a wine cooler exploded.
Louise, who is in her third trimester, revealed she managed to escape the blaze alongside her mum, fiancé Ryan Libbey and their two dogs- but if emergency services arrived five minutes later, things ‘would have been different’.
Scary: Louise Thompson has been left shaken after an ‘absolutely devastating’ fire tore through her mother Karen’s house in the middle on the night
She penned: ‘Morning guys. A few of you have noticed we have been offline since Wednesday. Contrary to popular opinion (thanks for your well wishes) I haven’t gone into labour, but we were involved in a bad house fire in the middle of the night.
‘Thankfully myself, Ryan, my mum and the dogs are all OK.’
Louise, who was hospitalised following the blaze, described her feelings of panic when she couldn’t find their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels – Toto and Koji- through the thick smoke.
It was an absolutely devastating experience but we managed to get out with minimal damage to our health (including the dogs who we lost in the blinding smoke at one point),’ she wrote.
Lucky escape: The reality star, 31, took to Instagram on Saturday morning to reveal she’d been involved in a house fire alongside her mum, fiancé Ryan Libbey and their dogs
Frightening: Louise wrote: ‘Contrary to popular opinion (thanks for your well wishes) I haven’t gone into labour, but we were involved in a bad house fire in the middle of the night’
Terrifying: Louise described her feelings of panic when she couldn’t find their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Toto and Koji through the thick smoke
Worst nightmare: She said: ‘Well let me roll with you, you CANNOT escape the power of fire. The thick chemical smoke travelled so fast throughout the house’
‘You CANNOT escape the power of fire’: Louise spoke about how ‘thick chemical smoke’ travelled through the house ‘within seconds’ after a wine cooler exploded
Health scare: Louise said she was hospitalised after the fire but is ok
On the lookout: Louise has said they now have to find a new place to live after the fire ripped through the home, destroying everything in its presence
‘The emergency services were incredible and arrived in 2 minutes. Still probably in shock as it was pretty scary, and could have ended in a different outcome but we will get through it and be grateful for our luck.
‘A big wake up call as to what is really important in life.’
Louise, who is expecting a baby boy with Ryan, explained to her 1.3million followers why she opted to share the news via her Instagram platform.
Scary: Louise pictured with her two beloved spaniels. The reality star said she was terrified after being able to find her dogs in the smoke
‘1. To thank the emergency services. If the fire engines had arrived 5 minutes later then things would have looked very different.
‘Until you have experienced this type of fire first hand I don’t think you understand the sheer power of it. As someone someone who is very fit and able bodied I always thought I was invincible and could escape any fight or flight scenario.
‘Well let me roll with you, you CANNOT escape the power of fire. The thick chemical smoke travelled so fast throughout the house which meant that within seconds it was impossible to see or breathe. You literally have seconds to make a decision.’
She continued: ‘The only place that offers safety is outside where you have the capacity to run away to safe air away from flame and smoke.
‘I now understand why people have to jump out of buildings because they have NO other option and that is a scenario that has been going round and round in my head – it breaks my heart.
Louise heaped praise onto the fire services, who she said she has ‘so much admiration’ for.
Grateful: Louise heaped praise onto the fire services, who she said she has ‘so much admiration’ for
‘I have so much admiration for these men and women who work in the fire services who run the other way into burning buildings to rescue people and to save homes.
‘They are risking their lives every time. So a big thank you to them.’
Offering some advice to her fans, the television personality insisted: ‘I urge you guys to check your fire and smoke alarms TODAY because without them we might not have woken up and there may not have been an escape route out.
‘I also urge you guys to pay attention whenever you are taken through a fire drill or moving somewhere new or even staying at a hotel. There should be fire signs on the back of a door. It’s important to know what your options are.’
Louise remained on her story to explain the cause of the devastating fire and branded her situation ‘zero to one hundred.’
‘In our case no one had done anything wrong, there was nothing we could have done to prevent it. A wine cooler that no one ever really touched exploded in the middle of the night.
‘Fridge fires are scary because there is no build up and they happen without warning. It doesn’t start slowly releasing a bit of smoke to trigger the alarms giving you a chance to think about things. It’s a zero-100 sort of situation.
‘I also believe the combination of electricity with water and plastic is a pretty toxic combination. The air honestly smelled of pure poison.’
Louise concluded by paying tribute to the ambulance service and told her followers the priority is finding somewhere to live.
‘I also wanted to send a huge thank you to the ambulance service and to A&E for their impeccable response. I am so grateful for your continued care. You have saved a few of my family member lives over the years and have also looked after me so well through this tough pregnancy.
‘I will be back at the hospital again in the not doing distance future (hopefully for a more joyful experience) but then I intend on staying away for as long as possible !!!
‘Now we are trying to wrap our heads round everything and our main priority is to find somewhere to live.’
In August, the star talked about how she was rushed to hospital after coughing up blood amid fears a suspected clot could spark more baby heartbreak following her tragic miscarriage.
Louise has previously revealed she’s endured a difficult pregnancy after feeling unwell and being in a ‘high risk category’ due to her autoimmune condition, causing her to have more frequent scans.
In an exclusive interview, Louise admitted she’s fearful of not delivering a healthy baby after miscarrying earlier this year but vows she can handle any future challenges as a new mother once she’s reached the final ‘goalpost’ and given birth.
Honest: In an exclusive interview, Louise admitted she’s fearful of not delivering a healthy baby after miscarrying earlier this year but vows she can handle any future challenges
Source: DailyMail
