A man who set fire to a block of flats to end his own life wanted his sister to die with him, a court heard.
Martin Nicholson had earlier asked his stepfather to attack him before starting the blaze at the block of flats where they lived.
The 34-year-old set fire to two seats before the blaze was brought under control.
Prosecutor Dan Wilberforce said Nicholson’s sister’s room was next door to his upstairs flat in the property.
He said: “His sister heard a bang and opened the door to see him on the stairs with huge flames behind him.
“He said to her – ‘I’m sorry, I love you. We are going to die together’.”
The prosecutor said Nicholson’s stepfather used water to control the fire, allowing them to escape before firefighters extinguished it.
Mr Wilberforce said police and fire investigators discovered a pile of rubbish had been set alight on the stairs and in his room.
He said the damage was estimated to have cost the landlord between £4,000 and £5,000.
Nicholson was serving a suspended sentence when he started the fire, the court heard.
Nicholson, of Bridge Street, Howden-le-Wear, near Crook, pleaded guilty to reckless arson after the fire on February 26.
His barrister, Paul Abrahams, said Nicholson pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had been in custody since his arrest.
Judge Peter Armstrong sentenced Nicholson to five years in custody after activating 12 months of his suspended sentence.
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“You set two fires in the premises and fire service had to be called,” he said.
“You indicated that the purpose of setting the fires was to kill yourself and your sister would die with you.
“From her victim personal statement, she was clearly terrified at what was happening that day.”
Nicholson had previously received an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, criminal damage, common assault and assaulting an emergency worker.
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