A TEENAGER had a miraculous escape when an industrial firework exploded in his bedroom, causing severe structural damage to his home.

Remarkably, 16-year-old Dean Kevill emerged with just cuts and scratches following the incident at his Prestwich home which firefighters described as "like a small bomb going off".

The blast rocked the council-owned property in Polefield Gardens, blowing out the bedroom window. A dividing wall will have to be demolished and a building inspector said there was evidence of a ceiling and roof being lifted.

Dean's mother Mrs Jane Kevill, and stepfather-to-be Mike Pearson, were in the kitchen of their home at 10pm on Wednesday when the industrial-size firework ignited in the teenager's bedroom.

Just moments earlier, they had been lying in bed next to the dividing wall which almost caved in.

The firework ignited after Dean burnt his hand with a lighter and dropped it into a drawer where the firework was. The former Prestwich High pupil said he was given the firework by a friend, but has no idea how the friend came to have it.

He said: "When it went off I was thrown back across the room and couldn't see a thing because of all the smoke and dust. I was just screaming for help."

The family, who are still in shock, are counting the cost of the structural damage which, Mr Pearson believes, will take a long time to repair.

He said: "We are just grateful Dean is okay -- everything else can be replaced. He must have a guardian angel looking over him. It is just a miracle no-one was badly hurt. He isn't going near a firework again, not even a sparkler."

Sub officer Bill Biles of Whitefield fire station said: "This firework was like a small bomb going off in an enclosed space. The blast happened inside a 6ft by 9ft bedroom and created a rather large pressure wave which blasted a three inch thick breeze-block wall between the boy's bedroom and his parents' bedroom. It was actually pushed by a number of inches."

He added: "The boy came away extremely lightly, sustaining scratches to his arm and neck mainly from the flying debris. We're amazed at how little he suffered -- he's an extremely lucky lad."