Three neighbours were praised for helping to save a Brighton man from a fire in his flat.
They later learnt that the man who they saved had started the blaze.
The fire starter, Paul Hyde, 28, of Donald Hall Road, on the Bristol Estate, was jailed for six years for arson with intent at Brighton Crown Court yesterday.
He was convicted after setting fire to his home on Saturday 26 June last year.
A passer-by, Andrew Martin, raised the alarm among Hyde’s neighbours, helping to evacuate them.
Mr Martin then tried to rescue Hyde from his flat even though smoke was billowing out from around the door and the handle was too hot to touch.
Sussex Police said: “He held his t-shirt to his mouth, but was beaten back by thick smoke.”
Off-duty fireman Kyle McClellend also tried to rescue Hyde, crawling along the floor on his stomach in an unsuccessful attempt to try to reach him, the choking air proving too much.
Another neighbour, Arthur Collis, tried to make it to Hyde’s flat but was beaten back by the thick smoke.
Sussex Police said that Mr Collis – dubbed “Spiderman” by other local residents – jumped from a ground floor window on to Hyde’s balcony.
He then pulled Hyde into the fresh air while they waited for a crew from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service to reach them.
A joint investigation by fire service experts and Sussex Police disproved Hyde’s claims that the fire had started accidentally when he fell asleep with a cigarette in his hand.
He was found to have set his flat on fire deliberately, endangering the lives of several people.
Detective Constable Karen Woodhams said: “The sentence handed down to Hyde demonstrates the severity of his crime and justice has been done.
“On the day this happened the number of people who were ready to jump to the assistance of the emergency services are too many to name.
“Our thanks go to all of them who showed true community spirit and cohesion in the face of what could have ended in tragedy.”
