Table of Contents
- Warning Issued by a Mother
- Incident Details
- Damage Description
- Cause of the Fire
- Current Status
- Safety Tips for Artificial Trees
A MOTHER is issuing a warning to anyone with an artificial Christmas tree after hers caught fire while she was asleep.
With the holiday season just around the corner, many of us have beautifully decorated trees brightening our homes. However, one woman's experience left her homeless after her tree ignited, causing “horrific” damage.
Tracey Azab had gone all out decorating her home with festive decorations before it turned into a nightmare.Credit: SWNS
Tracey fell asleep only to wake up to her bedroom filled with smoke three hours later.Credit: SWNS
Tracey Azab, 42, enjoys decorating during this time of year, and after five months of living in her home, she went “all out” with her decorations, including a 6-foot tree adorned with baubles and lights.
However, her cherished display was entirely ruined when Tracey’s faulty artificial Christmas tree caught fire.
Tracey recounted, “In my front room, there was nothing left, and there were holes in my ceiling.”
“It was black – it was horrific,” she added.
The fire occurred on December 21, 2022. Tracey had just visited her heavily pregnant daughter, Ellie, in the hospital due to concerns about reduced movements.
After her visit, Tracey returned home at 6 am on December 21, ready to sleep. She never anticipated that she would wake three hours later to find her room filled with smoke.
Realizing the fire was directly beneath her living room, she hurried to alert her mother over the phone.
Tracey explained, “At first, I couldn’t figure out what was happening; I felt like I was going to pass out.”
She continued, “Around 9 am, I woke up and it was completely black. I thought if I jumped out of the window and died, at least my family could say I tried.”
Tracey was astonished that she didn’t injure herself after jumping 12 feet out of one of the windows.
Before long, the fire brigade and a helicopter arrived. Tracey recalled, “The first thing I remember is screaming at them, ‘please don’t let me die; I want to see my granddaughter being born.’”
She added, “I was in and out of consciousness; I couldn’t feel my legs.”
Tracey was rushed to Park Hospital, where she underwent a CT scan. Doctors had to remove three-inch thorns from her skin resulting from her fall.
She sustained some muscle damage but was ultimately given the all-clear.
Tracey was proud of her stunning Christmas display before it went up in flames.Credit: SWNS
The house was devastated after the fire.Credit: SWNS
Unfortunately, her home – temporary accommodation provided by Slough Borough Council – was destroyed. Upon visiting the damage the following day, she described the scene as “unbelievable.”
She said, “What made me chuckle – I know it sounds odd – was that the only thing left in our front room was the metal frame of a Christmas tree.”
The Royal Berkshire fire brigade confirmed that the fire was caused by an electrical fault in the plug socket of her pre-lit tree.
Three years later, after being relocated to temporary accommodation in March 2023, Tracey is still waiting to be assigned to a new home.
She urges others to exercise caution if they have an artificial tree.
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