A COUPLE told today how they jumped to safety from a blaze that claimed the lives of two young jockeys.

Chris Beresford, 19, a chef at El Gringo’s restaurant in Malton, and his girlfriend, Leoni Lenaghan, 21, spoke about their terrifying experience when fire broke out in Buckrose Court, Church Street, Norton.

The inferno erupted in the early hours of Saturday, with occupants of the block of flats desperately leaping to safety from windows to escape the flames.

But up-and-coming riders Jamie Kyne and Jan Wilson were killed in what police believe was an arson attack.

Chris and Leoni, who live in Buckrose Court, were woken at 2.15am when they heard the smoke alarms go off.

“I went to switch ours off and saw black smoke coming through the door,” said Leoni, a receptionist at Malton’s Old Lodge Hotel.

“We just threw some clothes on and jumped out of our window, which is about ten feet from the ground. We have only lived here for five months and everything we own is in our flat, including our pet chipmunk.”

Once outside, Chris said they looked up to see a man clinging to a windowsill on an upper floor of the former tannery building, which has 16 flats.

“I told him to jump down and he landed on top of me,” he said.

“I asked him if anybody was left in the flat, but he was really dazed and didn’t answer. The fire all seemed to be on the top floor – the only ways out were through the door or the window.”

Meanwhile jockey Dean Heslop has paid tribute to his “superstar” friend Jan Wilson, who worked alongside him at Thirsk.

He said Jan had meant the “absolute world” to him. “I was like a big brother to her,” he said. “She was a superstar and I've never met anyone like her before.”

Dean, from Selby, revealed that hours before the fire, Jan had texted him to ask whether he thought she should go to Norton to visit Ian Brennan, her jockey boyfriend, who later escaped from the fire.

“I knew she was riding at Thirsk the next day and told her she shouldn’t go, because I knew she was dedicated to her job more than anything else. The next day I woke up and she was dead.”

Jamie, 18, from Galway in Ireland, and 19-year-old Jan, from the Scottish town of Forfar, are thought to have been overcome by smoke and trapped inside the three-storey building.

Police forensic teams and scenes of crime investigators were yesterday scouring the gutted block of flats as they try to piece together how the fire started and are expected to remain there for up to three days, while post-mortem examinations were due to be carried out yesterday.

A man, who is believed to be in his 30s and from Norton, has since being arrested in connection with the blaze – which is thought to have begun after a group of the flats’ residents went out on Friday night to celebrate their “pool winnings” from a local racehorse trainer – and released on conditional bail.

Among the tributes left at the scene of the tragedy was a message from legendary jockey Kieren Fallon, who wrote: “You will be missed every day – RIP”, while another, dedicated to Jamie, read: “We will miss your cheeky smile and witty banter.”

North Yorkshire Police have appealed for any witnesses to the blaze to phone them on 0845 6060 247.