THE cause of a blaze which tore through a Newport house earlier this week has been revealed.
Homeowner Alan Matthews, 70, was forced to smash a window and dive out of the house after the fire broke out at his home in Sutton Road at around 6.30am on Tuesday, May 9.
Mr Matthews, who lives at the home with his cat Sia, said the fire started in the fireplace, and spread to nearby items including boxes. He came out of the bathroom and tried putting out the flames with buckets of water.
Mr Matthews is a retired truck driver for BT and is now a keen musician, who busks in Newport and Cardiff. He lost 24 guitars in the fire, worth around £30,000.
Thankfully neiether he nor his cat were harmed.
"I'm alive, I'll start again," he said.
"It's stuff at the end of the day. I'm more gutted about my Fender Stratocaster. I bought it in 1971 for £300, it would have been worth £5,000 now. It was my pride and joy."
Now, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service have revealed the cause of the fire.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "The incident was deemed to be accidental following a fire investigation completed at 10.40am on Tuesday, May 9."
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