A MUM has told of the terrifying moment she feared herself and her little girl were trapped in their top-floor flat after a fire was deliberately started in the stairwell.
 

Emma Webley was fast asleep in her one-bedroom home with three-year-old daughter Sophie when she was shaken awake by her partner to find the room engulfed in black smoke and fire alarms blaring.
 

In the communal hallway downstairs a TV had been dumped and set on fire causing thick black smoke to fill both floors of the six flat block in Craven Street, St Mary’s.
 

Neighbours on the floor below had been woken by the noise and had called the fire brigade while trying to tackle the blaze.
 

Firefighters from nearby St Mary’s station went to the scene, forcing open the doors to some of the properties to lead the eight residents outside to safety.
 

Emma described how she was coughing as she scooped up Sophie, who was wrapped in her duvet, and was guided downstairs with partner Patrick Lucey.

She said: “I just didn’t know what was happening. We were covered in black from the smoke and I was coughing. It was frightening but I was more worried for Sophie than anything else.”
 

All three were taken to hospital after being assessed by paramedics at the scene, to be treated for the effects of smoke inhalation.
 

Yesterday around 9am they returned to their home, still dressed in the pyjamas and dressing gowns they had been rescued in, only to find the area cordoned off by police and to be told they could not get back in.

She joined her neighbours in the car park who had also been evacuated.
 

Karen Snook, 43, lives on the first floor of the block with partner Des Wheatley.

She said: “I woke to the sound of the fire alarm about 4.30am. We’ve had a couple of scares here before but never an actual fire, and it was frightening to see all that black smoke.
 

“I phoned the fire brigade while Des ran out with a bucket of water to try and put it out.
 

“The firefighters were here really quickly, I think that’s because the fire was in the hallway and nobody could get out, we were trapped.”
 

Des, 44, who had to miss a day at work fitting air conditioning units, added: “I woke to the sound of the smoke alarm and went outside into the stairwell and saw the TV on fire – it was just a small flame at first but by the time I had gone back to get water it had really kicked off. It got quite bad and it was mainly heavy smoke.
 

“My first thought was to try and put out the fire – we were all inside but there was a baby upstairs too.”
 

Resident Lisa Casey, 35, praised Des for his efforts. She said: “It was really frightening. If it wasn’t for Karen’s boyfriend it could have been so much worse.”
 

Police are now investigating the cause of the blaze which fire chiefs believe was deliberate.