A three-year-old boy wrecked his home after playing with a lighter.

Little Shane Hoban sparked the blaze after burning his bedsheets.

His desperate mother Charlene, 22, plucked Shane and his baby sister Candice to safety as flames took hold on the first floor of the property in Burchetts Close, Haywards Heath.

Mrs Hoban, 22, was asleep in bed at 11am yesterday when she awoke to an acrid smell of smoke and could hear the crackle of flames in her son's room next door.

She started screaming and ran into the room where she saw flames leaping from Shane's bed.

Mrs Hoban shouted to her brother Sean Moore, 17, who lives with her and her husband James, to get little Shane and his one-year-old sister out.

Meanwhile the flames were spreading across the bed and on to the walls and floor of the end-of terrace house.

While Mrs Hoban and her husband got the children to safety, Sean tried to douse the flames.

Mrs Hoban said: "I was just screaming. I didn't go downstairs until I knew the kids were out safe.

"Then I phoned 999 and ran next door to tell my neighbours to get out but they weren't in.

"I could smell burning plastic which must have been my son's television burning.

"There was so much smoke. It was pouring out of the side of the house. I was choking because I breathed in a lot of it.

"I wanted to go back upstairs to get some of my things but I'm pleased I didn't otherwise I wouldn't have come back down.

"I can't believe it has happened. I'm gutted but I'm just pleased that we are all OK."

Shane later confessed to his mum and the police that he had started the fire with a lighter by burning his bed sheets. Mrs Hoban said he had previously tried to set light to a pile of letters in her bedroom about four months ago. She had told him off and said it was dangerous to play with fire.

She said she kept lighters and matches well out of reach of her children on top of her wardrobe and was at a loss as to how Shane had got hold of the lighter.

She said: "I'm just devastated.

I feel sick. We have only lived here for a year and I had just finished decorating.

"I had bought new beds and blinds for the children and now they are ruined.

"The bathroom was finished two days ago but now there is a hole in the wall between it and my bedroom and it is destroyed.

"All the children's toys and our clothes are burnt. Everything is gone, but at least we are still here."

Four fire engines, two from Haywards Heath and two from Burgess Hill, were sent to tackle the blaze.

Ian Walker, station manager of Haywards Heath fire station, said the blaze had destroyed most of the first floor and parts of the loft space.

He said: "We are looking to work with the family on how we can help the young lad through our Fire Awareness Community Education (Face) scheme, if he has got a fascination with fire.

"It's something that's quite common with children and we have trained officers who can work with him and his family to wean him off."

The family have been temporarily re-housed by Downland Housing Association, which owns their property, while work is carried out to repair the home.

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