Britney Spears says she accidentally started a fire in her home gym: 'I burned it down'

LOS ANGELES -- Britney Spears is opening up about a mishap at her home gym, saying she accidentally started a fire several months ago but assuring her fans that nobody was injured.

"I haven't been in here for like six months because I burned my gym down, unfortunately," Spears said Wednesday evening in an Instagram post. "I had two candles. One thing led to another and I burned it down."

In the caption of the post, Spears recounted the fire, which she said was purely accidental: "I walked past the door to the gym and [there were] flames...By the Grace of God the alarm went off after that and yippy hoorah nobody got hurt."

There were no injuries associated with the fire, she said, adding, "It could be much worse, so I'm grateful."

It appeared Spears has since fixed whatever damage the fire had caused, though she said in the video that she only has "two pieces of equipment left." She went on to show her followers an at-home exercise that required only two dumbbells and body weight.

"I like working out better outside anyways," she said.

Between 2013 and 2017, fire departments in the Untied States responded to nearly 8,000 house fires started by candles annually, according to statistics compiled by the National Fire Prevention Association. The organization said those fires are responsible for 80 deaths and 720 injuries on average each year. Click here for safety information related to using candles in your home.

In two previous Instagram posts Wednesday, Spears explained that she has been staying safe at home during the coronavirus pandemic for weeks. Despite the fire, she said she is "not really sure how to express in words how happy I am to find solitude in my beautiful home every day."

"I hope you are all staying safe and playing your part," she wrote.