A guilt-stricken teen was forced to confess shed been vaping after a vape shed thrown away set the house ablaze and left the family homeless. <\/p>\n
Mom Heidi Johnson was downstairs with her four-year-old son and a friend when the smoke alarms began to go off at around 7.15 pm last month [April 15th]. <\/p>\n
The carer went upstairs to check them and was horrified to be faced with flames and plumes of thick black smoke coming from her 16-year-old daughters room. <\/p>\n
Racing downstairs and ushering her loved ones from the house, the mother-of-three called the fire brigade who arrived at 7.30 pm. <\/p>\n
Its believed the lithium in the battery of a dead cherry cola-flavored vape, which had been binned as it had run out, sparked the devastating blaze. <\/p>\n
Her teenage daughter, who had nipped to a shop with a friend, was horrified when she returned home to discover the house had been ruined and shamefacedly admitted the vape was hers. <\/p>\n
Heidi is sharing her ordeal to warn about the dangers of vaping and encourage the installation of more bins for proper vape disposal <\/p>\n
Shocking pictures show the property and all their possessions covered in soot forcing the children to live with family members while the 37-year-old lives out of her car with her four-year-old dog Bubbles. <\/p>\n
Now Heidi is sharing her ordeal to warn others about the dangers of vaping and encourage more places to install bins where they can be properly disposed. <\/p>\n
Heidi, from Batley, West Yorkshire, said: I was just in the living room and my little boy and my friend were in the kitchen when the fire alarms started going off. <\/p>\n
Now and again the alarms go off and theres no problems. <\/p>\n
I checked the kitchen one and it wasnt flashing red, neither was the living room one. <\/p>\n
I thought it was probably just a dickie [alarm]. <\/p>\n
When I got to the top of the stairs, it was just black. I couldnt see anything. <\/p>\n
There was a bit of a light coming out of my daughters bedroom. I pushed the door back and it was all up in flames. <\/p>\n
It was the week after my daughters 16th birthday, so all her birthday things were gone, shes got nothing <\/p>\n
I never expected it. When I saw it I screamed. <\/p>\n
My friend and my son were at the bottom of the stairs. I told them to go, I said get out, get out! and pushed them next door. <\/p>\n
It went so quickly, it was so scary seeing the flames. <\/p>\n
It was the week after my daughters 16th birthday, so all her birthday things were gone, shes got nothing. Wed just decorated her bedroom and bought her a new telly. <\/p>\n
Shes devastated, absolutely heartbroken. Its just a shock. I dont think Ive even accepted what has gone on. <\/p>\n
The fire brigade turned up and at first they thought it was a gas leak. <\/p>\n
It turned out it was my daughters vape, but it had been there for ages. She said it was dead. <\/p>\n
It was just in the bin in her room. She said it had been in there all day. <\/p>\n
The thing is, my daughter wasnt even allowed vapes in the house. <\/p>\n
Ive already banned vapes from my house, but I cant put it on her. Its just one of those things that has happened. I know shes taken it worse, because it was her vape. She blames herself for it. <\/p>\n
Weve been left completely homeless, its really affecting my kids <\/p>\n
The fire brigade said it was the lithium in the battery that had leaked out of the vape and caused the fire. <\/p>\n
Heidis rented house is now ruined beyond repair, as not only was the upstairs destroyed by the smoke and fire, but the downstairs suffered water damage too. <\/p>\n
Her children are staying with family members, while she sleeps in her car with her dog every night until they can find alternative accommodation. <\/p>\n
The single mom says she feels heartbroken and that she has been left with nothing due to a vape. <\/p>\n
Heidi said: I cant even go in the house, even if I wanted to get something out, its so dangerous. <\/p>\n
Its sickening, Im 37 years old and Ive got nothing apart from my car, its horrible. <\/p>\n
The thing is my daughter wasnt even allowed vapes but its just one of those things that happened. <\/p>\n
Theres no proper disposal bins for them, theyre just getting thrown left, right, and centre <\/p>\n
Its all gone, it burnt everything. The kids have no toys or everyday things. <\/p>\n
Weve been left completely homeless, its really affecting my kids. I just want to be normal and back with my kids. <\/p>\n
Its reality. Im just plodding along and trying to do what I can do for my children, but it just isnt working. <\/p>\n
Everything just seems to be getting worse. Its hard, Im trying to deal with one thing and then another happens. <\/p>\n
Grateful no one was hurt, Heidi hopes that in sharing her story she can highlight the potential dangers of vapes and the importance of properly disposing of them. <\/p>\n
Heidi said: Ill survive. Im here and alive. Just dont vape. At the end of the day, it isnt worth it. <\/p>\n
When youre in my situation and youre living in the car with your dog separated from your kids. Its all because of a vape. <\/p>\n
They dont even have any warnings or proper disposal places for them. <\/p>\n
Something so dangerous and theres no proper disposal bins for them, theyre just getting thrown left, right, and centre. <\/p>\n
You dont think its going to happen because its dead and its useless but its taken my whole house out. <\/p>\n
Im so scared of them now, I never want to see one again. <\/p>\n
My daughters trying to keep going but shes suffering, all my kids are and Im not even able to be around them at times like this. Its just crazy. <\/p>\n
It could happen any time, anywhere and theres nowhere to get rid of them. There hopefully will be soon. <\/p>\n
I just dont want this to happen to anyone else. You dont think it can happen, I never even knew it could happen. <\/p>\n
You can donate to Heidis fundraiser here. <\/p>\n
The post Teenage girls vape started fire that burned down her family home appeared first on Talker. <\/p>\n
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A teenage girl's vape started fire that burned down her family's home - The Georgia Sun<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A guilt-stricken teen was forced to confess shed been vaping after a vape shed thrown away set the house ablaze and left the family homeless. Mom Heidi Johnson was downstairs with her four-year-old son and a friend when the smoke alarms began to go off at around 7.15 pm last month [April 15th]. The carer went upstairs to check them and was horrified to be faced with flames and plumes of thick black smoke coming from her 16-year-old daughters room Continue reading