General News
4 May, 2024
Freak accident goes viral on social media
A freak accident which saw a Warracknabeal family's outdoor setting burnt to a crisp has attracted an astonishing 20 million views on social media.
Sam Tickner and his wife Indiana took their three children - Eamon, 6, Vance, 4, and Scout, 1 - to Wheatlands Machinery Museum, leaving their home empty for just under four hours.
But on their return they discovered something odd had happened in their patio.
"We were enjoying music and the kids were happy," Mr Tickner said.
"Indi had a nice roast going - which smelt amazing - and then I looked out of the kitchen window and could see what looked like a pile of dirt.
"It turned out to be ash."
The family's wooden table and one of their plastic-wicker chairs, along with some of the decking, were badly burnt.
"There were no flames, but it was slowly smouldering," Mr Tickner said.
"I felt the deck and it was hot, so I just ran the hose over it.
"I thought the dog did something, because he was sitting next to it all, and then when I went out to look I was just shocked.
"My first thought was 'what lit it?
"Then I saw the glass pot sitting there and I just put two and two together."
It turned out the culprit was a glass fishbowl-shaped plant vase sitting in the middle of the wooden table - and it had acted like a magnifying glass, turning the sun's rays into fire spots.
'I thought the dog did something, because he was sitting next to it all, and then when I went out to look I was just shocked
Sam Tickner
"There was a 45 minute to an hour window where the morning sun hit just the right spot," Mr Ticker said.
"Lucky we came home when we did, otherwise it could've been a lot worse."
Mr Tickner said he was thankful the family home was brick and that underneath the decking was cement.
He took a video of the damage and later posted it to his Instagram account.
Incredibly, the video has since received more than 17 million views and more than 4000 comments on the site.
"I didn't think this would be something people would be very interested in, but apparently they are, and it's gone viral," Mr Tickner said.
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