A mum has told how she and her seven-year-old son could have been killed in an arson attack on their home in the middle of the night.
Jessica Berry and her son were asleep at the property in Mill Lane, Llanfairfechan, when a firebug set the wheelie bin outside alight.
Flames ripped up the front of the mid-terraced house and were close to her son's bedroom window when the alarm was raised at around 1.30am on Monday (October 22).
Mrs Berry said if it had not been for neighbours banging on her front door to wake them, they could have been killed.
She said: "My husband was away on business and it was me and my son asleep when I was roused by a sound.
"I was lying there and then heard some banging on the door so I opened my skylight and I could feel the heat immediately.
"There was a massive orange glow and my first thought was my son's bedroom was on fire."
She said the frames of the windows had started to ignite as she pulled her son from his bed and raced outside to safety.
Mrs Berry said if it had not been for her neighbours, she fears they could have been killed in the blaze.
She said: "Everybody was fantastic, the fire brigade and the paramedics were fantastic."
Following the incident, Mrs Berry said she believed it had likely been an accident until witnessed CCTV which appeared to show a man walk up to the bin and deliberately set it alight.
She said: "When I saw that CCTV the next morning I was absolutely shocked and I am so angry.
"It's really hard to come to terms with, but we have been talking about it and it must be somebody gets a kick from lighting fires.
"You start to think 'have I been targeted' but we don't have issues with anybody."
Mrs Berry said she had kept her living room curtains open that night, but if they had been closed it was likely they would have gone up in flames.
She added: "This person has to stop now. The police need to find out who this person is.
"We almost died that night.
"Somebody is going to get hurt unless he is stopped."
Mrs Berry's next door neighbours, who also have a young child, also had a lucky escape as the flames caused some damage to the front of their property.
Police are now investigating who was behind the shocking act.
District Inspector Julie Sheard said: “Whether reckless or deliberate, the individual/s responsible need to reflect on their actions.
"What they did put the occupants at significant risk and it has had a substantial impact on the families residing there.
"They have put people’s lives in danger.
"This is a neglectful and thoughtless act and we will continue with enquiries to identify the suspect.”
Firefighters from Llanfairfechan and Conwy were called to the scene just before 1.30am on Monday.
The crews used one hose reel jet to deal with the blaze.
Tim Owen from the North Wales Arson Reduction Team, said: “Deliberate fires are completely unacceptable and this incident highlights just how dangerous they can be – putting the lives of community members and our firefighters at risk.
"Even small fires can spread very quickly."
He added: "I would therefore appeal to anyone with information on such activities to report it to North Wales Police."
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact North Wales Police on 101 quoting reference 184008919 or anonymously via Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.
