A family was last night counting the cost after fire gutted a schoolboy's bedroom and damaged the rest of their home.

Lucy Moran said the only thing her 12-year-old son Jack had left was a football medal.

The Dorothy Stringer pupil even had to borrow clothes from Miss Moran to wear.

But Jack, eight-year-old sister Eve, mother Lucy and stepfather Tony Dain(cor) said they were just happy everyone was alive.

The blaze broke out in Jack's bedroom in Toronto Terrace, Hanover, Brighton, at 3.30am yesterday after what fire crews believe was a combination of an electrical fault and lit candles.

Jack said: “I woke up and there was fire at the end of my bed.

“I remembered what I learned at school and got to the floor. I crawled upstairs to tell my mum and then she came downstairs.

“At this stage the fire was spreading and the whole house was smoky.”

But amidst the confusion Jack did not come out the house.

At first firefighters believed he was trapped but he then emerged from the building.

However, his bedroom and possessions have been destroyed.

The doorframes have melted and the walls are blackened while the rest of the home is black from the smoke.

Jack said: “I am sad but the main thing is everyone is alright.”

St Luke's pupil Eve added: “I am glad everyone is fine.”

Yesterday Mr Dain and Miss Moran, 45, supported firefighters' calls for something to be done to ensure fire engines could access the street.

Firefighters had to park about 300 metres away and run along the icy roads to their home.

Miss Moran, who broke down in tears when she saw Jack's bedroom, said: “Other things are replaceable but Jack, Eve and Tony are not.

“But we don't have insurance which is my fault.

“It is alarming how quickly the fire spread.”

Mr Dain, 37, said the family would not be cancelling Christmas.

He added: “Jack's got two new PlayStation games under the tree which he has been really excited about.

"The fire means he has not got a PlayStation anymore.

“But we are going to do our best to make sure Christmas goes ahead.”

* Firefighters carrying equipment were forced to run 300 metres to reach Jack and his family.

Yesterday Brighton crew manager Mark Rose criticised the owners of cars parked either side of Hanover's narrow roads which saw the crew unable to park their appliance close to the house.

He said: “Because there were so many cars parked either side we were unable to reach the house.

“Obviously this was a very serious fire and it is very worrying we had to leave our truck far away to reach the family. We used three breathing apparatus and initial reports suggested Jack was unaccounted for.

“Something needs to be done about this.”

He also reminded people to check their smoke alarms in the run up to Christmas and not overload electricity sockets as this can cause fires.