Fire started by boy, 4, destroys presents

"Don t turn your back on them for five minutes! And get a smoke alarm."

With the exception of two parcels hidden in the attic, all the family s Yuletide gifts went up in smoke within four shopping days of Christmas.

The mother declined to be named but welcomed the Observer into the smoke-blackened ruins of the family s maisonette in order to punch home her message to others.

Three firefighters had to wear breathing apparatus to fight their way into the smoke-filled Rother Homes property and extinguish the flames.

Standing in her gutted bedroom, walls, floor, ceiling and remaining ruined furniture sooty black, the mother told of a game played by her son which could have had tragic consequences.

Pointing to where her bed had been, she said: "I was doing the bedrooms. I had been sorting out clothes on the bed.

"I had gone down to the kitchen for five minutes for a coffee and a fag. My son was climbing on the unit and I told him to get down.

"He went upstairs to play. He had been playing in his bedroom. He came in here and found my lighter and began playing with it.

"He set light to the clothes on the bed. When he came back downstairs he started playing normally. He didn t say anything to me.

"About five minutes later I smelled smoke and heard this popping noise. I came up and opened the door and WHOOSH! As I did so the bed just went up in flames.

"I ran downstairs, grabbed him and dashed out of the place and used my mobile to phone the brigade.