Mother's scars that will not heal

It left a mother facing months of painful treatment for horrendous burns while at the same time trying to come to terms with the loss of one son - and the fact it was another son who had killed him.

Rumours that a member of the family had deliberately started the fire swept through Wombwell within hours.

"People were saying he had done it, and had done it because he was angry at being punished for stealing from his older brother," said one neighbour. "You just can't get your head around something like that - how can anyone live with that on their conscience?"

Another neighbour described the fateful day of the fire.

"It was all just so awful. I was told his mum had got out of the house but then I saw her standing at the window. It was like she was too frightened to jump. Then there seemed to be an explosion in the room behind her and it seemed to blow her out of the window.

"People were screaming and bodies were jumping from the flames - and then to hear all the rumours that the son had started the fire was almost beyond belief."

Another neighbour, Susan Moore, said locals had tried in vain to get past the flames and choking smoke to help the family.

She said she had run into the street after hearing the noise and saw a blackened figure slumped against a wall and another crawling towards the garden gate.

She said: "I felt so sick seeing people coming out who were burned. I heard fireworks going off and the sirens straightaway. One neighbour went up to the house but no-one could have got inside, the flames were too fierce. It blew the door off, it was unbelievable."

The house was totally wrecked by the flames, and family members lost all their possessions. Immediately locals started a collection to try to help.

Jason Desmond, aged 31, who organised house-to-house collections and put donation boxes in shops, said: "It was such a horrible event people wanted to feel they had done something to help, even if only in a small way.

A shrine was created to the 15-year-old victim in the hedge in front of the gutted house and, within 24 hours, more than 60 floral tributes had been lined up beneath. One from a schoolfriend said simply: "We will all miss you so much."