With her home razed to the ground and every belonging she owned reduced to ashes, Chantal de Souza says she had the worst and best Mother's Day ever.
The woman whose family lost everything when their rented Omapere house went up in flames just after midnight on Sunday is warning people to discuss an escape plan in advance, "just in case of fire", make sure smoke alarms are in the right place, and get household insurance.
Mrs de Souza, her two small sons and husband Rui de Souza, survived without a scratch when the unthinkable happened - only hours after they had talked about what action to take should a fire occur.
"I'm better today," she said yesterday, after several days of shock and turmoil. "I'm just feeling lucky to have my kids and husband alive."
On Saturday evening the couple lit their first fire in the old villa they had lived in for five months but became alarmed when smoke started to pour out of a crack in the hearth. They doused the fire, but before going to bed that night Mrs de Souza and her husband talked about what to do should the fire flare up again.