Faversham mum speaks of horror as car went up in flames outside house in Lewis Close
10:57, 09 January 2020
A mum has told how her young son has been left traumatised after he was pulled from his bed to escape a raging fireball outside his house.
Izabela Termena says she grabbed five-year-old son Sebastian and ran from the home in Lewis Close, Faversham, after her car was torched in a suspected arson attack.
The vehicle had been parked just feet from the house, leaving Mrs Termena fearing the consequences could have been much worse.
“We were just settling to go to sleep and the next thing there was this fire and the sound of explosions,” the 42-year-old said.
“The car was very close to the house, and me and my little son had to escape the house from the back because there were explosions and flames and everything.
“If this had happened 10 minutes later, we would have been asleep and we might not have heard anything.”
Two fire engines rushed to the scene and extinguished the blaze, which completely destroyed the car.
Mrs Termena says her son fears the culprits could return and cause further damage.
“My son is traumatised and he is absolutely scared to be in his bedroom,” she added.
“I don’t know why anyone would do anything like this.
“You can replace the car, you can replace the doors and windows, but my son is going to be affected by this for a long time.
“He went back to school Monday and the school have been so good with him, but I can still see he’s not himself.
“He’s worried that the bad man is going to come back and burn our house down.”
The cause of the blaze shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day is being treated as suspicious by the fire service and police.
“You can replace the car, you can replace the doors and windows, but my son is going to be affected by this for a long time..." - Izabela Termena
Mrs Termena had been driving a courtesy car at the time of the fire, with neighbours hearing its alarm sounding before the explosion.
“It could have ended up so much worse,” she said. “I don’t even want to think about it.
“I understand people are scared and don’t want to give statements but there must be someone who has seen something. Hopefully someone has CCTV from the time, or just any information.
“I just want the people who did it to know what they have done could have been so much worse. It is just disgusting.”
Police are investigating the suspected arson attack.
Anyone with information should call police on 01795 419119, quoting crime reference 46/71/20.
