A GRANDMOTHER has described the terrifying moment she saw flames licking her neighbour’s window after a sofa had been deliberately set alight.

Tina Hayward, 59, frantically dialled 999 after her neighbour Denise Jago deliberately set fire to her sofa, causing the flames to spread rapidly.

The blaze took hold of Jago’s property and threatened to damage neighbouring homes in Quilter’s Straight, Basildon, on Tuesday, February 28.

Fortunately, firefighters managed to contain the fire and drag out Jago before she was seriously hurt.

Appearing at Basildon Crown Court, unemployed Jago, 54, admitted arson being reckless and endangering the life of another.

She was remanded in custody for a pre-sentence report to be carried out before a sentencing hearing at the same court on Friday.

Recalling the fire, Mrs Hayward, who is medically retired, said: “For some reason, whenever her smoke alarm goes off so does mine.

“They are not linked, we have had them checked, but there must be a trigger from the smoke.

“My smoke alarm went off at about 8pm. I put my head out of the door with my phone in my hand as I was calling 999.

“The operator asked me if I could see any smoke. and I said no, so the call ended.

“My husband went outside and seconds later, by the time he got to the end of the path, there were flames lapping up her window and there was thick black smoke.

“I phoned the fire brigade back and said that the fire had taken hold and there was a person inside.”

She added: “It was scary, the fire could have spread to my home - you just don’t know what will happen.

“The firefighters told me that had I not phoned when I did, then she could have died. I am glad that she has pleaded guilty, although how could she not?

“Hopefully now she can get the help she deserves.”

Jago’s home is still boarded up and has scorch marks around the front door.

Three days earlier, there was another fire at the home and two passers-by jumped the fence, smashed open the front door and rescued a woman inside, as well as a cat and dog. The house was smoke-logged but nobody was injured. In relation to that fire, nobody has been arrested.

Det Supt Kevin Baldwin, South local policing area supt, said: “She set alight to her sofa which engulfed her house and it endangered the lives of neighbours next door.”