Arsonists attempted to set fire to the home of a blind woman as she slept.
Sharron Willows was woken by the sound of her fire alarm as she slept in her ground-floor flat in Quantock Place, Peterlee, after thugs pushed ignited materials into an air vent.
Quick-thinking wardens, who are linked to the system, alerted firefi
ghters, who rushed to the scene.
Although the flat was filled with smoke, the blaze had extinguished itself by the time the crews arrived, but Ms Willows has been left shaken and upset by the attack.
She feared she and other tenants in the three-story block were at great risk as the fire was started next to the gas supply pipe to the building.
The 51-year-old, who is registered blind and suffers from epilepsy and other health problems, told the Echo: "The alarm woke me up and I spoke to the warden who asked if I had set the fire alarm off.
"I get hassle now and again from the kids who are hanging around full of cannabis.
"Sometimes I get verbal abuse and sometimes they ring the bell.
"I was upset, but it could have been much more serious than it was."
Ms Willows could not sleep following the incident, which happened at around 6pm on Monday, because she was sos frightened.
The vent targeted by the vandals feeds in to a cupboard in the flat, close to Ms Willows's bedroom.
Police and firefighters are treating the incident as arson and are carrying out inquiries.
Crew manager Kevin Croft, of Peterlee Fire Station, said: "The damage was only smoke damage and the fire was out before we got there.
"Thankfully the alarm went off, but the woman had been asleep at the time.
"It could have been much worse than it was and she was still quite shaken."
A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary added: "If anybody was in the area around that time and saw anything which can help then we would like them to come forward."
Ms Willows is preparing to move home to a bungalow in Horden, which will be better suited to her needs and help her continue to live independently.
Anyone with information about the arson incident can contact Durham Constabulary on 0845 60 60 365 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
