Couple 'lose everything' after stolen car crashing into their house sparks fire which destroys the £300,000 home

A couple have been left 'devastated and traumatised' after 'losing everything' in a house fire caused by a stolen car crashing into their £300,000 home.

Manuel Scarrone, 43, and Valentin Tacciu, 28, were stunned by the vehicle, with two teenagers suspected of drink and drug driving behind the wheel, colliding with their living room wall before it caught fire.

Mr Scarrone was away in Italy at the time, leaving Mr Tacciu alone in their dream three-bedroom detached new build, in Swaffham, Norfolk with their dog, Gizmo.

Mr Tacciu was woken by a large bang at 5am on June 30 and looked out of his bedroom window to smoke, flames and a car partially lodged inside downstairs.

The blaze spread to the rest of the house in minutes but Mr Tacciu and Gizmo managed to flee in time and alert emergency services.

Mr Scarrone, an interior designer, said: 'It is absolutely devastating - we are just so traumatised.

'Our home was everything to us - we had been so proud to buy it and fill it with love but in the blink of an eye we lost everything we had worked for.

'I am an interior designer myself so you can imagine how I feel about my home - I put my whole heart into it.'

A Norfolk police spokeswoman confirmed two teenage boys were arrested in Lynn Street shortly after the fire.

They were taken to King's Lynn Police Station and questioned on suspicion of arson endangering life, aggravated vehicle taking, drink and drug driving and driving without a licence or insurance.

They were released on bail pending further investigation with conditions not to enter Lancaster Road.

Mr Scarrone told of how he was woken up by a call from his partner telling him their dream home, which they moved into in 2022, was engulfed in flames.

He explained: 'Valentin was sleeping in the master bedroom which is the room above the living room where the incident happened.

'He woke up because he heard a large bang outside. When he looked out the window, he saw the car lodged against our living room.

'The car was already on fire because one of the tyres blew up. When the car had smashed into the living room, the flames spread out. He took Gizmo, put his harness on and fled the house.

'All of our neighbours were there, they were really helpful. The firefighters came in about ten minutes but the flames had spread out.

'The damage spread from the living room to all of the house and we've had significant damages from the smoke and the water as the firefighters obviously used a hose.

'We had three inches of water in the house.

'The smoke was very oily as it was from the car fuel so literally everything is black now - all the walls, furniture, all our belongings. Everything is lost.'

Mr Scarrone said he felt further anguish when he couldn't get a flight back home immediately as they were fully booked - meaning he had to wait two days.

He said: 'It is literally the last phone call I ever expected to receive. The way in which it happened is the most shocking.

'Maybe if the fire had been caused by the boiler or something else inside the house I could understand a bit more - but two underage kids driving a car?

'Can you imagine how that feels? It is crazy and just really, really awful.

'Our development is a lovely place and the community is amazing.

'Since we moved in two years ago, we have heard people complaining about certain people and children throwing stones at houses.

'But I was never expecting something like that. It was absolutely insane.'

The couple were looked after by their 'kind' neighbours for three days after the crash but are now living in a hotel.

They are due to be moved to a B&B on Monday and an assessor is set to come out and survey the damage.

Mr Scarrone fears it may be up to eight months before they can even think about returning home due to the extent of the damage.

The couple has launched a GoFundMe page to help them rebuild their lives while they await further instruction from an insurance company.