Actress and former U.S. talk show queen Ricki Lake has opened up about her narrow escape from a blaze that destroyed her rented Malibu, California beach house this summer (Aug10), insisting the tragedy has made her more grateful than ever to be alive.
A candle sparked the fire which destroyed everything the star and her sons owned, but she's still amazed they managed to get out without injury.
Appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Wednesday (11Nov10), Lake recalled the fateful evening, stating, "My nine year old went and got his brother and saved him... Unfortunately we lost everything that was in the house.
"It's tragic and it's scary but I'm so grateful. My children are healthy, I'm healthy; I didn't get burned in that fire... If there's some higher power looking out for me or what, I won't take it for granted. I never did before this happened and I never will."
She added, "We got out with the clothes on our back - no shoes, nothing. It was terrifying but I also feel like, suddenly things are just things.
"I mourn the loss of that house even though I didn't own it... but I actually think my kids will learn a valuable lesson about how quickly things can change and you have each other and family is everything."