The blaze at the home of the Dodd family in Llay was caused by an electrical fault in the water tank and destroyed a bedroom where there was a control valve on a pipe.

The family's home has suffered smoke damage to much of the first floor, a hole in the dining room ceiling where water poured through from the tank and water damage to the room below.

Val Dodd and her daughter, Becky, 14, were sunbathing in their garden on Forest Road on Sunday afternoon when Becky went upstairs to get changed.

"She noticed all the smoke and I went into the room first because she shouted there was a fire," said Val, 46.

"The first thing I thought was hair straighteners but it wasn't – it was the water tank, a pipe in Becky's room.

"I got the phone and ran out and phoned the fire brigade. We were in the back garden but the window in Becky's room started to rattle so I got the dog and we went to the front because we were worried the window was going to blow."

All had been well when Val's husband John, also 46, had left the house just minutes before the fire was discovered. He was taking the couple's eldest daughter Samantha, 17, for a driving lesson.

"We had only just left and got to Wrexham Industrial Estate when I got Val's phone call – it happened really quickly," said John.

"Becky's room is gutted and all her school work has gone and she's got exams soon. Her school, Ysgol Castell Alun in Hope, have been very good and said they'll help her get her work back.

"All her CDs and DVDs are gone, all personal things. You can replace a lot, but not personal items.

"The fire brigade said it's just one of those things, it had somehow gone wrong. They said it could have been a different story if it had happened at 2am, that's something to be grateful for."

Val and her daughters are staying at night with her sister-in-law at the nearby Mount Pleasant pub while John remains in the house to secure the property.

Val is full of praise for the two pumps from Wrexham fire station who tackled the blaze.

"The fire service were brilliant, they were so good," she said.

"You don't realise how good they are until they're there when you need them. I would like to thank them for everything they did."

Now the family is waiting to hear from insurers before they can start the slow process of getting their home straight again.

But they remain stoic about their situation and just relieved that everyone is safe.

"It's only bricks and mortar – it can all be replaced," said John.