Louise Thompson has revealed she’s lucky to be alive, after escaping a devastating fire at her mother’s house – which broke out in the middle on the night.
The 31-year-old, who is expecting her first child, was staying at her mum’s house with her fiancé Ryan Libbey while their home in South West London is being renovated.
Sharing the news on Instagram this morning, the Made In Chelsea star said she managed to escape the terrifying blaze alongside her mother, Ryan, and their two dogs.
View this post on Instagram
Louise wrote: “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.”
The mum-to-be, who is in her third trimester, continued: “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).”
“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 explained: “There are two main reasons I’m sharing on here – 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.”
View this post on Instagram
“As someone someone who is very fit and able bodied I always thought I was invincible and could escape any fight or flight scenario,” she wrote.
“Well let me tell 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.”
“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.”
“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,” Louise continued.
“They are risking their lives every time. So a big thank you to them.”
In another post, the reality star 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.”
View this post on Instagram
Louise then explained that the fire was caused by a wine cooler that “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 like pure poison.”
Louise concluded her posts by writing: “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,” she added.
