A SCHOOLBOY has been hailed a hero after saving his parents after fire swept through their three-storey home early on Tuesday.

Jake Ling, aged seven, woke up coughing just after 1am as smoke filled his bedroom and immediately raised the alarm.

The family from Sandown Road, Sandwich, gulped fresh air from a bathroom window before escaping down the stairs to safety.

His mother Sally Baker said: "We knew Jake was fantastic, but now we really know he is."

Proud father Nick Ling said he was impressed how calm the little boy stayed in the crisis and praised his quick thinking.

Fire sub officer John Caldwell, from Sandwich, added his tribute to Jake: "The family are so very, very lucky he woke up. Smoke is toxic and the outcome could have been so different."

It is believed the blaze started after an electrical fault in the dishwasher set alight the kitchen. The entire property has been smoke damaged.