A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy was one of three people to escape through the windows of a burning Kidlington house in the early hours of yesterday.

Police believe someone deliberately set fire to the front door of the terraced house in Basset Way at about 1.50am on Friday morning. 

The victims, a 50-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and a five-year-old boy managed to clamber out through the windows to escape the blaze.

Video and pictures courtesy of Steve Hurd 

The man and the boy are understood to have climbed down from the back bedroom window while the woman climbed from the front bedroom window over into the house next door.

Neighbours in the road described the events unfolding 'like a horror movie' and said a family next door heroically broke down a garden fence to help them escape through their house.

A 49-year-old woman who did not want to be named said: "It was the most horrendous thing I've ever experienced. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. 

"We were sleeping and heard a commotion outside. I looked out the window and out of the corner of my eye saw an orange light. I thought it was a road sweeper and opened the window to look and saw flames in the their porch. A gust of smoke came into our bedroom - I couldn't speak properly, it was all too much." 

She rushed to evacuate her two sons and husband, who said: "The fire had completely taken control. We saw the young woman crawl out of the window onto the roof, I couldn't believe it." 

His wife added: "She came back to see it today and just burst into tears.

"It was unbelievable, it was like watching the most horrific horror movie in slow motion, knowing that it's part of your street and your lovely neighbours and just hoping they get out. It could have easily been fatal. It's really upsetting."

The couple said the young family - who they understood to be the parents, their little boy and his granddad - had lived in the house for more than a year and said they understood the father was out working a night shift at the time of the fire.

Thames Valley Police is treating the incident as an arson with intent to endanger life.

Investigating officer Det Con Ruth Ivins of Bicester Force CID. said: “We believe that arson was the cause of this incident, which could have led to the death of three people, one of whom was a five-year-old child.

“Fortunately, they all managed to escape from the property, but the outcome could have been very different.

“We are conducting a full investigation into this incident, and I am therefore appealing for anyone who has any information which could relate to it to contact us by calling the non-emergency number 101.”

Both the man and boy were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene by paramedics from South Central Ambulance Service with another adult male. It could not be confirmed if the last man was an occupant.

The woman was cared for by firefighters before the ambulance service arrived. She was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital with the boy due to smoke inhalation.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue were called at 1.54am and three fire engines from Kidlington and Rewley Road in Oxford were sent to the scene.

Crews tackled the blaze with a hose line before venturing inside to fully extinguish the fire and search for anyone still in the property.

Watch Manager Gary Crone from Kidlington Fire Station said “This was a very serious incident.

"When we arrived we were faced with a substantial fire in the front door area which my crew had to deal with before they could get into the property to search for the occupants.

"It was at that time that the occupants were making their escape from the first floor. Whilst this type of fire is fortunately rare, it is important that householders think about what they would do in the event of a fire in their home and work out a fire plan.”

Specialist officers from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue are helping police with their enquiries.