A FIVE-year-old boy has been praised for raising the alarm after a kitchen fire failed to set off a home smoke detector.

Casey-James Eldridge spotted the cooker was on fire when he went to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen at his home in Westray Close, Oakridge, Basingstoke.

As downstairs filled with smoke, Casey-James ran upstairs to get his aunt, Jeanette Patching, and uncle, Aaron Champion.

They went downstairs to get Casey-James' other aunt, Maria Olive, who was asleep, and his 22-month-old cousin, Ashton Patching.

Casey-James lives at the property with his mum Lisa and aunt Maria.

Mr Champion managed to remove a skateboard, which had been left on the cooker and had caught fire, before putting it out.

The smoke alarm had not gone off as the smoke was low-lying. It is not known how the fire started, but there were no suspicious circumstances.

Casey-James, a pupil at South View Infant School, said: "When I saw the fire, I just ran up the stairs and got my family.

"Everyone said how brave I was. Afterwards I got to sit in the fire engine, which was really fun."

Ms Patching, of Butler Close, South Ham, was at the Westray Close home of her mother and sister when the incident happened on August 15.

The 29-year-old said: "He was very brave and walked right through the kitchen while it filled with smoke. Many of the family are members of St John Ambulance and he would like to join too because he does like helping people."

John Clarke, red watch crew manager at Basingstoke fire station, who attended the scene, said: "Young Casey-James did fantastically well.

"If it had been left for another minute or two, it could've been quite serious."

To have a free smoke detector fitted, contact Basingstoke fire station on 01256 818883.