Dartford boy, 7, is 'little hero' for waking family during fire (From News Shopper)

Dartford boy, 7, is 'little hero' for waking family during fire

10:08am Monday 22nd October 2012 in News By Kelly Smale

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Dartford boy has been described as "a little hero" for waking his family up during a blaze.

At around 10.45pm last Wednesday (October 17) Dane Tolhurst-Young was woken up by a fire alarm at his home in St Vincents Avenue.

The youngster looked out of the window and saw flames coming from a storage outbuilding, which is attached to the property, and smoke began coming through the back door.

He quickly woke up his mum, Sally Tolhurst, before alerting his 15-year-old brother, Robert, and 10-year-old sister, Rebecca - giving them enough time to dash out the building and dial 999.

Ms Tolhurst, 48, told News Shopper: "I was sound asleep and nothing really registered.

"If he hadn't of woke us up we wouldn't have got out, it's quite frightening to think we wouldn't be here."

She added: "We have burn marks in the kitchen and the back door started to melt.

"All I could think was 'how did this happen?'

"Thank God we have a smoke alarm."

The Temple Hill Primary School pupil was in St Thomas' Hospital last year at Christmas with pneumonia after suffering from a viral infection.

Ms Tolhurst said: "He is a pretty amazing kid."

Dane's 49-year-old dad Mark Young, who does not live at the house, said: "What a brave little boy he was, in my eyes he is a little hero."

A crew from Dartford fire station attended the scene and controlled the flames within 10 minutes.

Firefighters estimate 70 per cent of items in the outbuilding were destroyed and the house was badly smoke damaged.

Dartford watch manager Dave Read said: "The working smoke alarm gave the early warning needed for the family to escape from their smoke filled home.

"We want people to realise if a fire starts in their home they probably won’t burn to death but the smoke is more dangerous - just three breaths of fire smoke can be fatal."