New Home Catches Fire Less Than 40 Minutes After Couple Leaves

Leane Burns and John Webster returned from collecting food to find their newly purchased home near Southampton on fire.

Leane Burns left with John Webster. They went out to get food.

They came back in under 40 minutes. Firefighters fought flames in the kitchen.

Smoke and soot damaged almost every room. Many things were damaged too.

Investigators found the fire at the electric hob. They thought it may turn on by accident.

Furniture and boxes were moving into the house.

Burns and Webster stayed in hotels. Their daughter and dog stayed there too.

They used hotels and Airbnb homes for five months. Emergency housing cost about £11,000, they said.

They had problems getting insurance help. They complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

They moved back in October 2024. Burns had her second daughter two weeks later.

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