A CALAMITOUS camper nearly destroyed his own home when he decided to test an old stove indoors.

He made the mistake of using petrol instead of paraffin - leading to a massive explosion and a fireball that blew out the ground floor windows.

The man, who has not been named but is believed to be in his 40s, was testing the stove in the kitchen of his home in Mildred Street, Darlington, yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters say that, as the man pumped the primer stove to build up pressure, it released petrol vapour.

When he lit the cooker, it started to churn out black smoke. And as the alarmed man fled the house, the stove exploded.

Acting Station Officer Bret Clayton said: "Luckily, this chap was out in the yard. If he had been in the house, he would certainly have been seriously injured."

As well as blowing the glass out of the windows, the kitchen suffered blast damage from the stove and part of the ceiling was left in need of repair.

Alerted to the blast by neighbours, a crew from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue arrived to see the man appear from the back yard, uninjured.

Last night, Mr Clayton said: "It highlights the danger of using these things in the house. These things are camping equipment, and should be used in a well-ventilated area, rather than in the house."

The would-be camper declined to comment last night.