A boy braved thick smoke and ran through a pitch-black house to save his family and pets from fire last night.

Twelve-year-old Craig Knight raised the alarm after finding his bedroom TV alight and the room filling with fumes.

As he ran to tell his family, power was cut off but he carried on in the dark, downstairs, through a lounge and kitchen to reach the phone and dial 999.

The family escaped but Craig went back in and battled through the smoke to rescue his puppy, Marmite, cowering under a kitchen table, and Alsatian Shep, lying on his brother's bed.

Craig's mother Marilyn, 43, wept today as she said: "I just can't find the words to say how proud I am."

The blaze broke out mid-evening at the family's council house in

Loxwood Road, Wisborough Green, near Billingshurst.

Craig, a special-needs pupil at The Weald School, Billingshurst, was watching The Bill in his

bedroom. He went to the

bathroom and when he returned his room was filling with smoke.

Craig alerted older brother Shane, 16, and then his lorry-driver dad Clive, 42. His sister Tara, 12, slipped on stairs and injured a leg as she escaped.

By then the house was without electricity, but Craig carried on through the rooms to telephone the fire brigade. He then went back to save the dogs.

Craig, a diabetic who two weeks ago underwent an emergency appendix operation, went to St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, with his sister and mum for check- ups.

Triplet Craig's other sister

Hollie, 12, was at a friend's house.

Fire crews from Petworth and Billingshurst extinguished the flames. Craig's bedroom was wrecked and the rest of the house was smoke damaged.

Mrs Knight said: "Craig was frightened but he took it all in his stride. If he hadn't acted so

quickly it could have been so much worse."

Billingshurst Station Officer Michael Clack said: "The boy did the right thing under what

must have been frightening

circumstances."

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