A MUM-OF-TWO has shared horrific images showing the aftermath of her garden after it was left engulfed in flames following a BBQ accident.
Chloe Caudery was terrified when the incident happened at her home in Bellingdon, Buckinghamshire, last week.
The 32-year-old was having trouble starting up her barbeque so used lighter fluid which immediately sucked back into the can while continuing to burn.
The cleaner quickly panicked thinking that the burning liquid would explode in her hand so threw it away.
It then hit Chloe’s shed before exploding and setting the entire wooden frame on fire.
The fire then spread across the garden, damaging fencing, a BBQ, a tumble dryer, freezer, toys, a pergola and parts of the house’s guttering.
Fire crews arrived just 12 minutes after and managed to extinguish the flames.
Chloe has issued a warning on social media about the dangers of lighter fluid while saying she has learned her lesson from the incident.
She shared images showing the aftermath of the fire including the completely scorched garden area.
Other images show family possessions completely destroyed by the flames.
Posting on Facebook on Friday, she said: “Please take care while using your barbecues this summer.
“I’m usually alright, but yesterday was terrifying.
“I used barbecue lighter fluid to get it going as I didn’t have any stuff to hand like kindling.
“The fluid went back into the bottle, I s**t my pants, panicked and chucked it.
“It hit the shed and bang and here is the devastation.
“I was literally hangry and then super hangry after this ordeal.
“The event took 12 minutes, and if they didn’t come when they did it was going to set the house alight.
“[It damaged] facias, guttering, the shed, the tumble dryer, freezer, half of the pergola, the kids climbing frame, fences.
“It was lucky I moved my car out of the way as things started to explode.
“I’ve learned my lesson, I’ll be investing in metal storage things, life changing.
“Please stay safe, this could happen to anyone.
“We are all safe, and well, and fully insured thank goodness.”
The post has received over 1,100 likes and hundreds of comments from shocked viewers.
One said: “Wow, I’m so glad to see you’re safe and the damage was localised to around the BBQ area and didn’t spread.
“I guess the life lesson here is never to squirt bbq lighter fluid onto a lit BBQ.”
Another wrote: “How scary, I have always been afraid to use lighter fluid and it stinks so badly.
“We use natural firelighters which I still panic about but they burn out by themselves.
“So glad everyone is ok.”
A third commented: “Oh my goodness, you are so lucky to all be ok.
“I’m never putting fluid on a lit BBQ again.”
While another person added: “Never squeeze fluid on when lit for this very reason and always have the BBQ away from everything else, especially fences and sheds.
“Glad you’re all safe and a horrible lesson to learn this way.”
Speaking today, Chloe said: “The barbecue wouldn’t light so I put barbecue lighter fluid on it.
“With the suction it’s gone back into the bottle, I panicked and threw the bottle onto the shed, it burnt the whole shed down, six fence panels and the pergola.
“It was horrendous.
“It’s just so upsetting, I’m gutted.
“It lasted 12 long minutes.
“It was truly terrifying. “I was screaming on the phone to the fire crew saying it’s going in the house.
“If they didn’t get here when they did, it was about to go onto the roof.”
