flee flats after

arson attack

A MAN jumped for his life and a woman was left screaming for help after arsonists attacked their homes.

Today Jamie Ingham, 21, told of the moment she feared she would die as choking black smoke filled her flat.

And Chris Hill, 20, revealed how he was able to leap the 12 feet to safety from a window in the flat below.

Police and fire crews were today investigating the fire, which they said had started in a mattress and furniture left in a communal stairwell at Woodvale Flats, Wood Street, Darwen.

Jamie was led to safety down a ladder by firemen after the fire trapped her in her second floor flat just before 11pm on Saturday.

Jamie, who was taken to Blackburn Infirmary and treated for smoke inhalation, said: "I woke up when the fire alarm was going off.

"I opened my front door and lots of black smoke came in from everywhere.

"I couldn't see and I couldn't breath. I could heard things smashing.

"I grabbed hold of the curtains and put them to my face, I was that scared.

"I couldn't stop crying and screaming for help. I thought I'm going to die in here'.

"The people who started this fire put lives in danger. I could have easily died. I hope they are caught."

Chris said: "I was in bed and heard the alarm.

"As soon as I opened the door smoke gushed in.

"I shut the door and thought 'I have to get out of here before this place goes up'.

"So I had to jump out of the window. When I got down I went and phoned the fire brigade.

"I am really angry at what has happened. I had just spent two months decorating the flat and sorting it out and the smoke has ruined it all."

The flats are owned by Twin Valley Homes, the not-for-profit housing association which runs the borough's stock of former council houses.

But they are used by Nightsafe, the Blackburn homeless charity, as accommodation to help young people get back on their feet.

Chris and Jamie were the only people living in the block of six flats.

Linda Sharatt, housing manager at the charity, said: "We are just really pleased that nobody was hurt and that the only damage done was to the building.

"There was some furniture which had been left by someone who had moved out and there was a skip coming so it could be moved."

Watch manager Tony Hartley said the fire, which damaged the stairwell and smoke damaged the flats, was being treated as suspicious and added: "It was a severe fire and blew the glass out of the front of the building."

Det Insp Simon Giles said: "A match was put to a mattress in the stairwell. We would like to speak to anyone with information about the incident."

Call Darwen CID on 01254 353842 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.