A SEVEN-year-old boy set fire to his bedroom after playing with a soldering iron while his family were sleeping.

The Burnley family said they were ‘lucky to be alive’ after they managed to flee the house while the fire was still raging.

They were alerted when a free smoke alarm, fitted just a few months ago by the fire service, went off.

Garry Newham, 30, his partner Claire Simpson and her three children Jessica,8, Jordan, 7 and three-year-old Jade, all managed to escape the house in Springfield Road unhurt.

The blaze took hold in Jordan’s bedroom at just before 5am on Wednesday after he had found a soldering iron in a box on top of his cupboard and turned it on.

It set light to some of his belongings and he rushed downstairs carrying their nine week old puppy screaming as the fire began to spread.

The rest of the family only woke when the smoke alarm in their hall way sounded.

Garry, who was asleep downstairs with Jade, said: “I rushed upstairs to wake Jessica and Claire who were sleeping, they didn’t realise what was going on.

“We kept Jordan’s bedroom door closed to try and contain the fire and rushed outside and called the fire brigade.

“It was really scary, the kids and Claire have been really shaken up by it. You just don’t think that things like that are going to happen. Some people aren’t as lucky as we have been, we are lucky to be alive really.

“If we hadn’t have had the smoke alarm fitted a few months ago it could have been very different.”

Two fire crews from Burnley tackled the blaze and used breathing apparatus and a hose reel to extinguish the fire.

When the family were allowed back into the house they discovered that the bedroom has been totally gutted by the fire the radiator and light fittings have melted.

The rest of the first floor rooms were also extensively smoke damaged.

Jordan said: “I was watching a DVD with the dog and playing.

"It was really scary, I won’t be playing with things I’m not allowed to any more.

“I’m really sad that all my things have gone in the fire.”

Ambulance and police also attended the incident.