A family have issued a bonfire weekend warning after their home burned down after being 'hit by a firework'.
Zoya Sheikh was at home with her family on November 1 when a neighbour said they could see orange flames coming from the top of the house.
The 25-year-old said she had seconds to grab her siblings and parents and flee the home when the blaze began spreading throughout the property.
Zoya, who works in admin support, saw everything 'demolished' when the roof of her family home of 17 years suddenly exploded.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Zoya and her sibling Sabiha believe a rogue firework lit for Diwali may have landed on their roof and caused the initial spark.
Around 40 firefighters and six fire engines tackled the fire and the cause remains under investigation, according to the London Fire Brigade.
Zoya believes her family, who didn't have home insurance, would've died if they hadn't escaped the home in time.
Her family has since launched a fundraising page to help rebuild the extensive damage to their house. To donate, visit here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/our-house-got-burnt-down-wa99x?cp_src
Zoya, from Wembley, London, said: "It was something that none of us expected. I was downstairs in the living room with all my family.
"My brother needed help to get his car out. I was helping him at the front [of the house] and someone shouted 'there's a fire'. They had seen orange flames.
"We had no idea up to that point. My brother smelled something but we didn't think much of it because it's Diwali and there were a lot of fireworks going off that night.
"We didn't hear anything hitting the house because the fireworks are quite loud where we live.
"We had five seconds to go and grab my family, then it just continued to burn.
"I saw the roof explode, I was quite scared. Thank God I got to my family and we were all out of the house.
"Everything we had has been demolished. It was horrible - we built our lives there, we've all been there since we were kids - all our memories are in there."
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but the Sheikh family believe a firework may have landed on the roof and started the fire.
Zoya said: "We don't know officially if it was a firework, nothing has been confirmed. It could be a short circuit, it could be a firework - nothing has been assessed yet.
"If it is the case [that it was fireworks], people should be mindful and not point them at someone's house.
"We could've died. If we hadn't left within five seconds, everything would've collapsed on us."
Zoya's sister, Sabiha Sheikh, 26, said: "Fireworks are very dangerous. People need to be more careful and pick up their fireworks.
"My whole family could've died. Someone's careless actions nearly killed my family."
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