SOBBING while a fire raged in the house behind her, depressed Ana Rego repeatedly told the men trying to rescue her: "I want to die".
But in sentencing the 43-year-old, Judge Charles Gratwicke said it was "merciful" no one had been killed or injured.
Rego, who is Portuguese, was jailed for four years for starting the fire that gutted her Braintree home. She had pleaded guilty.
On Saturday, August 25, 2012, Rego called her sister and sister-in-law to tell them she believed her partner, August Ribeiro, was taking away their children, aged 14 and 16, and that she no longer had a reason to live.
She then set two curtains ablaze at her semi-detached house on Rosemary Avenue, intending to end her own life. She was the only person in the house at the time.
The blaze then spread to neighbouring properties, first the home of Suzanne and Paul Skirrow, where they were spending the day with their four-year-old daughter and three other relatives, and then to that of Roxanne Gant, who was forced to flee to safety with her three-year-old daughter.
Neighbour Margaret Nield was with her son, visiting from London, when they were alerted by the sound of fire engines and alarm bells ringing.
"We could see smoke billowing and flames licking up the roof, it was such an intense blaze," said Margaret.
"It was a sunny day and there were families and people all around when it started. Thank goodness nobody was hurt.
"We watched a red-faced woman driving away in a police car, and later found out it was her who had allegedly started the blaze."
Rego was rescued from her garden by three teenagers, two of whom rushed from the nearby skate park once they realised someone was still at her property.
Che Thompson, Leroy Moran and Philip Oddy were each given a High Sheriff's award at Chelmsford Crown Court and were to be commended, the judge said.
Rego's house was destroyed whilst her neighbours' homes suffered substantial damage.
In the Skirrows' house ceilings collapsed and rooms were smoke-logged, whilst the uninsured Ms Gant was left facing repairs to doors, windows and furnishings.
Members of the shocked community have done what they can to help the stricken families with collection tins in the local Co-op.
"The families affected were regular customers at the store, and this is the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else's face," said store manager Caroline Roche.
"We wanted to help with all the possessions we knew they had lost, so we raised £500 in donations in the shop."
Rego was convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court of six charges of arson, and recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
Judge Gratwicke told Rego: "The tragedy of this case is that there's really no proper explanation as to why you even behaved in this manner."
