“HE COULD have died.”

Those are the words of a Southampton mum after discovering her son escaped a dramatic blaze at their home.

Michala Phillips has spoken of the dramatic moment she walked into her flat to see it had been burnt down and her 14-year-old son Doulton had been rushed to hospital unconscious.

The teenager had been sleeping at the flat in Lydgate Road and was rescued when his 16-year-old friend was woken by the cat scratching at her face and managed to escape to get help.

Now Michala, 36, has said “Fluffy saved the day” and shown the Daily Echo the tragic result of the blaze, which has ripped through her entire home.

It comes after the Daily Echo reported that fire crews had to use ladders to save residents from a balcony on the tower block in Thornhill before rushing the teenager to hospital for smoke inhalation after the blaze broke out at 2.30am on Saturday.

Michaela said: “Doulton and his friend were just having a quiet night in at home watching films and I left to meet up with some friends for the night at around 9.30pm, they told me they would be fine so I stayed out thinking they would just safe.

“But I came home in the morning to find black burn marks all around my front door and nobody had contacted me to tell me what had happened, I didn’t know my son was in hospital."

Sobbing, the mum-of-two told the Daily Echo: “It’s just terrifying and makes me feel sick, I don’t think I will ever be able to leave him again.

“Apparently my cat Fluffy woke up Doulton’s friend by scratching at her face, she woke up to see the flat was filled with smoke and phoned emergency services straight away, if Fluffy hadn’t woke her my son would be dead, Fluffy saved the day.

“My home is completely destroyed and I don’t know what to do now, I’m just in a lot of shock.”

Fluffy, eight was rescued by firefighters at the scene and Michala’s second cat, ten-month-old Pooh was discovered hiding in the flat.

Both have been seen by a vet and Doulton, who was being treated for smoke inhalation at Southampton General Hospital was expected to be released last night.

As reported, residents were also at the centre of the dramatic rescue from the fire, the cause of which is now under investigation.

Firefighters from Hightown and St Mary's stations were called after the blaze had broken out in a first floor kitchen of Michaela’s home.

Three other people were also rescued from a neighbouring flat via a 13.5m ladder from the first floor balcony.

Another eight people were led to safety from the building by firefighters.

Firefighters used six sets of breathing apparatus, two jets, two hosereels and a positive pressure ventilation fan during the incident.