A woman in Pontypridd has been left devastated after her home was destroyed by a fire she believes was started by a petrol bomb. The incident occurred on Monday, June 1, at her home in Glyncoch, and she has described the moment she realised her house was ablaze as 'terrifying'.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was preparing for a doctor's appointment around 9am when she noticed two boys pointing a phone at her house. Moments later, her smoke alarm went off. Upon opening her living room door, she was met with thick black smoke and rapidly spreading flames. She grabbed her dog and fled the house in her pyjamas, with nothing else.
The fire spread within minutes, destroying cherished possessions including pictures of her late husband and dog. She said she had lived there for 45 years and nothing could be saved. Emergency services arrived at approximately 9.20am, with crews from Pontypridd and Abercynon Fire Stations extinguishing the blaze using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, and thermal imaging equipment.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they are working with police on an ongoing investigation. The woman claims CCTV footage shows a person entering her garden with a petrol bomb and putting it through her top window. No arrests have been made as of yet.
The woman, who has suffered multiple family bereavements in recent years, said she is struggling to process the event. She added that police told her if she had not got up when she did, it would have been a murder inquiry. She described the experience as the most frightening of her life.
