A SCHOOLBOY has been hailed a hero after saving his family from their burning home – as a 24-year-old man is quizzed over the suspected arson attack.
Brave Isaac Marshall, eight, awoke at around 5.45am to discover the hallway of the property in Middlesbrough on fire in the early hours of this morning.
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The youngster opened his window and started screaming for help as his mum, stepdad and three young siblings slept.
Amazingly, a family friend happened to be passing at the time – and the hero kicked down the door to rescue the children.
Two paramedics returning from a shift also rushed into the inferno to help.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
He remains in police custody tonight.
Isaac’s mum Charlie Loughran said she and partner Lewis Bond were completely unaware of the blaze until they were woken up and dragged from the house by rescuers.
She told Teesside Live: “When I woke up I could hear screaming and neighbours shouting.
“I remember walking out but you couldn’t see anything for smoke.
“As soon as I got out I could see Isaac and Frankie in the neighbour’s car.
HORROR BLAZE
“Anastasia was just covered in black soot, she looked like a little chimney sweep.
“I still can’t believe it, it doesn’t seem real.
“We were given oxygen but everyone is okay.”
A friend who lives nearby spotted Isaac shouting as he walked past the house, Charlie said.
“He kicked the door in and ran up the stairs,” she said.
The unnamed pal then ran back into the smoke-filled home to rescue five-year-old Frankie, who was asleep in a bedroom.
Two paramedics who had just finished their shift also rushed to help. One is believed to have rescued Lewis and one-year-old Arlo from the living room.
Charlie, 25, and Anastasia, two, were rescued by fire crews.
The mum said she will never return to the property again.
HEROIC RESCUE
“I won’t be able to go back and I couldn’t put my son through it,” she said.
“It’s badly affected him, he was saying, ‘What if I hadn’t woken up?’
“It’s really got to him, he can’t get those pictures out of his head.”
The family were treated at James Cook University.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and is in police custody.
“The arrest is in connection with a reported fire at around 5.48am on Saturday, February 5 in Woodville Avenue, Middlesbrough.
“All persons in the property, including four children, were safely evacuated from the house. The police investigation continues.”
Detective Inspector Rick Mansell from Cleveland Police said officers “have been carrying out door-to-door enquiries and patrols”.
“The occupants of the property were asleep at the time of this incident and thanks to those who raised the alarm, the emergency services were quickly at the scene,” he said.
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“We’d appeal to anyone who saw anything or has any dashcam or CCTV which may assist us to contact police.”
A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: “One of our ambulance crews came across a house fire in Woodville Avenue.
“We dispatched a further four ambulance crews and an officer and transported six patients to James Cook Hospital.”
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