Lancashire fire chiefs back Claudia Winkleman’s call for stricter fire safety laws

The star spoke to BBC consumer campaign show Watchdog last night about the incident, which left eight-year-old Matilda in hospital.

She told Chris Hollins: “I was talking to somebody...and then I heard her shout and she was on fire...it feels like she was on fire for hours, but the surgeon said that it definitely wasn’t the case and it was probably just seconds...she went up, is the only way I know how to describe it...it was a spark and she screamed out for me.

“It was like those horrific birthday candles that you blow out and then they come back...it was really fast, it was fast, it wasn’t fire like I’d seen.”

Winkleman said the incident was “ life changing, but not life defining”.

Tony Crook Group Manager, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service warned: “Children’s fancy dress costumes are not always fire-proofed or fire retardant and they can easily become engulfed in fire if they are exposed to a naked flame.”