A HOMELESS man sleeping rough in a listed York building fled when a fire he started to keep warm spread, causing £500,000 worth of damage.

Ronald Lee Briggs panicked and ran off without raising the alarm, fearing he would be arrested because he was wanted for shoplifting.

The 29-year-old, formerly of The Avenue, Clifton, returned to the scene hours later to find the building at the former St John College Croft campus site still alight - with no fire crews in sight.

Again he failed to alert the emergency services.

Briggs was jailed for two years after pleading guilty at York Crown Court to arson.

The Heworth Green site, opposite the former Transco gas works, had been bought by Bellway Homes and was due to be converted into nine homes and more than 100 apartments.

Alan Mitcheson, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that Briggs had been sleeping rough and had been staying overnight in the Grade II listed building.

On February 23 he lit a fire and arranged his sleeping bags, then left the room to relieve himself in the corridor."

However, Briggs was drunk and either fell asleep or unconscious. When he awoke, the building was on fire and he fled.

Mr Mitcheson said: "He went to the railway station to sleep and returned to find the premises still alight at 4.30am. No emergency services had attended.

Rather than call for help he went to an adjacent building and went to sleep for the rest of the night."

The fire service learned of the blaze at about 6.30am.

Mr Mitcheson said the building was extensively damaged to the tune of an estimated £500,000.

When police discovered Briggs, he smelt strongly of smoke and alcohol, and his hands were blackened. He told them he thought someone else would raise the alarm.

"He said he would have made a call if lives had been at risk," said Mr Mitcheson.

Andrew Semple, mitigating, said Briggs was in care from the age of four.

"It is no surprise at 18, when simply asked to leave the children's homes that had formed his existence with no family to speak of, he fell into the trap of his first conviction at 18."

He said Briggs had arranged his damp bedding too close to the fire grate. He did not raise the alarm because he knew he was likely to be arrested for a shop lifting offence.

Briggs had 22 previous convictions, including burglary, shop lifting and handling stolen goods.

Updated: 11:12 Monday, May 16, 2005