A woman fears she is scarred for life after suffering horrific burns as she fought her way through a terrifying fire in her home.

Laura Simmons was one of up to a dozen residents trapped inside Leopards' Plaza housing block when flames ripped through the building in a suspected arson attack in the early hours of Saturday.

Mrs. Simmons, 45, sustained first degree burns to her face, head, arms and hands, while her hair was so badly damaged it has had to be cut off.

It also emerged yesterday that three tenants were only saved after the heroic actions of 30-year-old Jahee Butterfield.

Mr. Butterfield, a resident at the home, battled through flames and heavy smoke in three separate journeys to the second floor to rescue a seven-year-old girl, 63-year-old Joann Lindo and a man in his 40s.

The father of the young girl yesterday hailed Mr. Butterfield a "true hero".

Last night, families said they had no choice but to remain in the badly-damaged accommodation - a former hotel - in Brunswick Street, Pembroke.

Mrs. Simmons was one of the first people to realise the fire had started when she spotted smoke coming from another room. She raised the alarm and said she tried to tackle it with a fire extinguisher before it raged out of control.

However, she claimed the extinguisher did not work.

She is now recovering at a hotel after undergoing treatment for burns.

"I'm in pain - in a lot of pain constantly," she said last night. "It's been a traumatic few days.

"I'm going to be scarred for the rest of my life, mentally and physically. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I'm crying."

She said she feared for her life as flames swept through the building.

"I was standing outside in the hallway area when I noticed some smoke coming out of the gentleman's room," she said. "I called out 'what's burning in your room?'

"I got the fire extinguisher but it didn't work. If it had been working, the whole thing could have been avoided.

"The next thing I knew the whole building was up in a blaze. The flames came from nowhere and went right in my face. It burned my face, my hair, my arms, ears and eyebrows.

"I saw my life go in front of me. There was nowhere for me to go. I had to run right through the flames. I didn't even notice how big they were, but they must have been high enough to burn my face.

"But I just had to go through them. I had to get out. I was screaming 'fire everybody - everybody get out!'"

Mrs. Simmons' husband Brenton Simmons, 46, remained trapped in the couple's room until the fire was put out. He had to put his head of the window to get fresh air.

She said that all their belongings were smoke-damaged, while losing her hair was an emotional blow.

"That hurt a lot, but they just couldn't salvage it," she explained. "It took me three years to grow it as long as I did. I was all excited about it the way it was. Now I have got no hair. I look like a bald eagle."

Mr. Butterfield said he ran upstairs and opened Ms Lindo's door after the fire broke out.

"I had to pull her down the steps," he said. "Then I came back and got the seven-year-old girl. Then I came back and got the gentleman in Number Eight.

"The smoke was very heavy. I just got them - I didn't have time to think."

Meanwhile, the seven-year-old girl's younger sister was tied to bedsheets and lowered to safety from a bedroom window.

Their father, who asked not to be named, said yesterday: "That a guy is a true hero for what he did."

Ms Lindo said: "I didn't know what was going on - I just heard someone say 'fire'. I went outside my room and it was flashing red. I was worried. I just want to leave the Island now."

The fire, which caused extensive damage to the second floor, happened just after 1 a.m. and is thought to have been deliberately started. Bermuda Fire Service says its investigation is ongoing and would not comment further last night, but Police have previously described the fire as suspicious.

Lieutenant Dana Lovell, from the fire service, stated at the weekend that the building needs to be fixed before anybody goes back in.

Residents speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday said they did not want to return to their rooms, but they had nowhere else to go.

Some tenants have alleged a disgruntled woman told to leave the block by her ex-boyfriend may have started the blaze.

Denny Richardson, president of the Leopards' Club, which owns the block, said he believed the fire started in a mattress which was dragged into the hallway.