A TEENAGER jumped out of his bedroom window to escape the flames after a firework was pushed into his house.

The rocket was put through a cat-flap at a family home in Barent Walk, Bestwood Estate.

Thomas Lemons, 17, was woken by the sound of the firework and came downstairs to find the kitchen on fire.

He was then forced to climb out of an upstairs window to escape the smoke and flames.

Thomas, a student at New College Nottingham, says he is still shocked by the attack.

"I don't understand why somebody would just set off a firework and cause this much damage," he said. "I couldn't believe the damage in the kitchen.

"I went downstairs and I saw a load of sparks and smoke coming out of the pantry. I ran upstairs and opened all the windows.

"There was a lot of smoke coming through by that time so I put my head out of the window while I was making a phone call, and that's when my neighbour came from over the road and said I would have to jump."

A neighbour had already phoned the emergency services, and encouraged Thomas to climb out of the window.

The family has been living at other accommodation since the fire, which happened at around 3pm on Tuesday.

Thomas's mum Cheryl Camm said: "I was quite devastated when I went back the morning after in daylight to see what damage it had done.

"The firework actually went into the pantry and there were clothes and food and things in there which caught alight.

"The kitchen is gutted. At the moment me and my partner are in a hotel and my son is stopping with my parents.

"We have been told it could be a number of weeks before we could get back into the property. There has been smoke damage throughout the house. Everything has to be cleaned and redecorated.

"The neighbour who came over was an absolute star. It's nice to know there are still people out there who are willing to help.

"The police said if it hadn't have been for the neighbour, he might have had more serious injuries. We can't thank him enough."

Thomas had a gash to his thumb from the jump, and was treated at the scene for the effects of breathing in smoke.

A 12-year-old boy has since been arrested on suspicion of arson and released on bail.

Station Manager Craig Dooley, head of the Arson Task Force at Notts Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Putting a lit firework through someone's door is not a prank – it is a serious crime with a serious sentence.

"These explosives are made for outdoor use and, if they are used indoors, it is the same as setting off a bomb. Although it may seem like a funny practical joke, it puts lives at risk and has severe consequences."

Mr Dooley said that putting a lit firework into a house was arson. If someone dies in a fire caused by a firework, it is murder; if no one is killed it can be classed as 'arson with intent to endanger life'. Both crimes can carry a life sentence.

Notts Fire and Rescue Service attended 28 firework incidents in October and November last year, 13 of which were house fires.

caroline.lowbridge@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk