SCHOOLBOY Jake Cooper has been hailed a hero after jumping into action when his younger brother's clothes went up in flames.

The ten-year-old did not think twice when he saw his seven-year-old brother, Reece, on fire.

He ran across the street and tore the burning clothes off his screaming brother, before stamping out the flames with his feet.

Reece suffered burns down his back and legs, and was rushed to hospital for weeks of treatment.

However, the boys' mother, Leeanne, said if it had not been for Jake's quick reactions, the outcome could have been much worse.

Reece had been playing with some older boys close to his home in Billingham, Teesside, when one of them started to set fire to some paper, using an accelerant.

Police believe a piece of burning material accidentally landed on Reece, instantly setting his clothing ablaze.

The boys' mother said the first she knew was when Reece "came screaming through the front door", literally still smoking from the fire.

"It was such a big shock to us all," said the 28-year-old mother-of-five.

"His tracksuit bottoms, his top, his trainers had all been burned, and his hair was singed at the front and back.

"We had to take Reece back to the hospital for three or four weeks to get his dressings regularly changed."

She said Reece was waking up in the night screaming for a few days afterwards, but had settled down now, although his skin was still tender.

"Jake is the one who is still suffering," she added.

"He feels disappointed in himself and thinks he could have done more. He's very angry about it.

"He was in tears for days after and could hardly sleep. It was awful for him to go through, but we kept telling him it was lucky he was there."

PC Jodi Prosser, who works for Stockton police and who attended the incident, said: "At a very young age, Jake's quick-thinking saved his brother's life.

"When we arrived at the scene, Reece was quite hysterical, as you can imagine, but Jake was quite calm. He hadn't panicked and had responded swiftly.

"He ran over, removed his brother's shirt and trousers, which were on fire. Jake then threw the clothes on the floor and stamped out the flames."

She said police were treating the incident essentially as an accident.