A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy is "stable" in hospital today after setting fire to his bedroom with a cigarette lighter.

Little Joshua Petrie started the blaze at his home in Mizpah Street, Burnley, last night.

His mum, Joanne, was downstairs with 18-month-old baby Shona when she heard Joshua shout.

Mrs Petrie ran upstairs and dragged her son out of the bedroom where the bed was already alight.

She also managed to get her daughter out before the fire brigade arrived.

The family was taken to Burnley General Hospital, and Joshua was later transferred to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Pendlebury, suffering from smoke inhalation.

Sub-officer Nigel Clark said: "Joshua must have been in the room for about five or 10 minutes with the fire because he had been blackened by the smoke.

"He had also inhaled quite a bit of smoke and we were quite concerned about his condition.

"When we arrived the bed was on fire and the first floor of the house was severely smoke logged."

He said firemen found a plastic cigarette lighter in the bedroom.

"Obviously we would warn all parents to keep lighters away from young children," he added.

"There was no smoke detector in the house and if one had been fitted it would have alerted the family to the fire much earlier."

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