By . Ian Garland . PUBLISHED: . 04:25 EST, 1 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:20 EST, 1 July 2012 . Investigators have told the mother of a toddler killed in a gas explosion her lit cigarette didn't set off the blast. Two-year-old Jamie Heaton died instantly when an explosion tore through the family's home in Shaw, Greater Manchester last week, while mother Michelle was smoking outside. Mrs Heaton, 31, has admitted she has been wracked with guilt since the tragedy, fearing she was responsible. Grief: Michelle And Kenny Heaton visit the scene of the blast and lay a tribute to their two-year-old son Jamie . Police are still investigating the cause, but have reassured the mother-of-three her cigarette couldn't have sparked the blast. But it's little comfort for the . grief-stricken shop worker, who left her son watching Peppa Pig on TV . while she stepped outside for a smoke break. She told The Sun: 'I knew Jamie was occupied . and wouldn't be causing mischief so I got my fags and went out onto the . back step, closing the door behind me. I lit a fag, had a few puffs and . then there was a 'boom'. Tears: Michelle Heaton weeps as she reads tributes to her son Jamie . 'I feel so guilty for going outside . that day. I know that if I had been in the room with him it would have . been that quick that I wouldn't have been able to do anything. But that . doesn't stop me wishing I could have done something. 'I am just thankful I survived so that my other kids still have a mum.' After she heard the blast, Mrs Heaton raced back into the house to search for her son. Police . quickly arrived on the scene and ushered the frantic mother to a nearby . pub, where she met husband Kenny, 36, who was at work at the time of the explosion. The pair waited for four hours while police sifted through rubble, before they were given the tragic news Jamie had died. The couple take comfort in the fact their son died instantly and wouldn't have suffered. In a statement released in the aftermath of the explision, they revealed they have been able to spend 'quality time' at hospital with Jamie's body. They described Jamie as a 'happy little boy, mischievous and full of laughter (who) adored his family, his brother . and sister Jack and Jodie, they loved their cuddles and play fighting'. Police have arrested a 32-year-old gas fitter who is believed to have examined a boiler in one of the affected houses in the days before the disaster. The unnamed man has been bailed to appear in court on August 9. Officers are still waiting to speak to the couple's next-door neighbour Anthony Partington, 27, who suffered 80 per cent burns when the blast happened at his home. Police have confirmed he was under sedation in Wythenshawe hospital and will be questioned when he regains consciousness. Agony: The couple had to wait for four hours while rescue teams searched the rubble of their home for two year old Jamie's body . Steve Heywood, Assistant Chief . Constable of Greater Manchester Police, told a press conference there . had been no change in Mr Partington's condition and might not be 'for . days or even weeks'. The . landlord of the rented property has revealed it had a new, . safety-certified boiler, and checks by gas engineers have yet to . identify any faults in the area. But . is thought the boiler developed a fault last week and say it may have . caused a gas leak which could have ignited when Mr Partington lit a . cigarette. Police are also thought to be probing . claims that Mr Partington had sent a text message threatening to hang . himself after his partner, Tanya Williams, also 27, walked out on him . the night before the explosion, taking her five children - who were said . to be wearing just their pyjamas - with her.. Tragic: The Heatons take some comfort from the knowledge Jamie died instantly and didn't suffer . TV: Mrs Heaton had left Jamie watching Peppa Pig when the blast happened . Jamie's parents describe him as a 'happy' 'smiley' and 'content' little boy . Last . week the 27-year-old’s family claimed she had fled after suffering . months of drink-fuelled violence but insisted nothing Mr Partington had . said suggested he had set off the blast deliberately. According . to Miss Williams’s family, she had sneaked out along with her five . children earlier in the evening, later sending him a text message to say . what she had done. Mr Partington is currently under . police guard at a burns unit, but officers yesterday said they had . ‘significant questions’ to put to him. They have also interviewed Miss . Williams over exactly what happened the night before. Neighbours . described Miss Williams as having a strong personality and said she was . a doting mother to her five children aged between eight and six weeks. She and Mr Partington had been together for five years. The massive explosion flattened number . 11 Buckley Street, where Jamie lived, and number 9, where Mr Partington . lived. The two houses are separated by an alleyway. Surrounding properties were also devastated and structural engineers will have to check each house before residents can return. Andrew Partington, left, who suffered 80 per . cent burns in the blast is believed to have had an argument with his . partner Tanya Williams, right, the night before . the explosion . Charlie . Parker, chief executive of Oldham Council, said there were a number of . properties in the immediate blast area which would have to be . demolished. Ten were seriously affected and . others within the 'inner cordon' would have to be assessed for . structural damage, Mr Parker added. He said the council had been . 'swamped' by contributions for the victims of the blast and appealed for . people to make donations instead. He . said some residents living on the periphery of the blast area should be . able to return to their homes and have their utilities reconnected 'in . the next short period'. A . statement from the council said: ‘Oldham Council is making arrangements . to enable some residents affected by the Shaw explosion to access their . properties. ‘Today we are . urging residents from Gordon Street, Oak Street, Edmund Street and . Chancery Lane to contact us as soon as possible. ‘If . you have not already done so, you should get in touch with Oldham . Council either by going to the Rest Centre at Crompton House school or . calling us direct on 0161 770 7770. ‘If . you live in any of these streets, we urgently need your contact details . so that we can speak to you directly about access to your property. The massive explosion flattened number 11 Buckley Street, where Jamie lived, and number 9, where Mr Partington lived. The two houses are separated by an alleyway. A number of houses caught in the blast zone will have to be demolished . This picture shows the scale of the damage to neighbouring houses as well as the scale of the damage to the three houses in the initial blast . VIDEO: Heartbreaking. Michelle and Kenny Heaton visited the explosion site on Friday .
Jamie Heaton, two, was killed instantly in the blast .
32-year-old gas fitter arrested and bailed .
Police waiting to speak to injured neighbour who allegedly threatened suicide night before explosion .
By . Ian Garland . PUBLISHED: . 04:25 EST, 1 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:20 EST, 1 July 2012 . Investigators have told the mother of a toddler killed in a gas explosion her lit cigarette didn't set off the blast. Two-year-old Jamie Heaton died instantly when an explosion tore through the family's home in Shaw, Greater Manchester last week, while mother Michelle was smoking outside. Mrs Heaton, 31, has admitted she has been wracked with guilt since the tragedy, fearing she was responsible. Grief: Michelle And Kenny Heaton visit the scene of the blast and lay a tribute to their two-year-old son Jamie . Police are still investigating the cause, but have reassured the mother-of-three her cigarette couldn't have sparked the blast. But it's little comfort for the . grief-stricken shop worker, who left her son watching Peppa Pig on TV . while she stepped outside for a smoke break. She told The Sun: 'I knew Jamie was occupied . and wouldn't be causing mischief so I got my fags and went out onto the . back step, closing the door behind me. I lit a fag, had a few puffs and . then there was a 'boom'. Tears: Michelle Heaton weeps as she reads tributes to her son Jamie . 'I feel so guilty for going outside . that day. I know that if I had been in the room with him it would have . been that quick that I wouldn't have been able to do anything. But that . doesn't stop me wishing I could have done something. 'I am just thankful I survived so that my other kids still have a mum.' After she heard the blast, Mrs Heaton raced back into the house to search for her son. Police . quickly arrived on the scene and ushered the frantic mother to a nearby . pub, where she met husband Kenny, 36, who was at work at the time of the explosion. The pair waited for four hours while police sifted through rubble, before they were given the tragic news Jamie had died. The couple take comfort in the fact their son died instantly and wouldn't have suffered. In a statement released in the aftermath of the explision, they revealed they have been able to spend 'quality time' at hospital with Jamie's body. They described Jamie as a 'happy little boy, mischievous and full of laughter (who) adored his family, his brother . and sister Jack and Jodie, they loved their cuddles and play fighting'. Police have arrested a 32-year-old gas fitter who is believed to have examined a boiler in one of the affected houses in the days before the disaster. The unnamed man has been bailed to appear in court on August 9. Officers are still waiting to speak to the couple's next-door neighbour Anthony Partington, 27, who suffered 80 per cent burns when the blast happened at his home. Police have confirmed he was under sedation in Wythenshawe hospital and will be questioned when he regains consciousness. Agony: The couple had to wait for four hours while rescue teams searched the rubble of their home for two year old Jamie's body . Steve Heywood, Assistant Chief . Constable of Greater Manchester Police, told a press conference there . had been no change in Mr Partington's condition and might not be 'for . days or even weeks'. The . landlord of the rented property has revealed it had a new, . safety-certified boiler, and checks by gas engineers have yet to . identify any faults in the area. But . is thought the boiler developed a fault last week and say it may have . caused a gas leak which could have ignited when Mr Partington lit a . cigarette. Police are also thought to be probing . claims that Mr Partington had sent a text message threatening to hang . himself after his partner, Tanya Williams, also 27, walked out on him . the night before the explosion, taking her five children - who were said . to be wearing just their pyjamas - with her.. Tragic: The Heatons take some comfort from the knowledge Jamie died instantly and didn't suffer . TV: Mrs Heaton had left Jamie watching Peppa Pig when the blast happened . Jamie's parents describe him as a 'happy' 'smiley' and 'content' little boy . Last . week the 27-year-old’s family claimed she had fled after suffering . months of drink-fuelled violence but insisted nothing Mr Partington had . said suggested he had set off the blast deliberately. According . to Miss Williams’s family, she had sneaked out along with her five . children earlier in the evening, later sending him a text message to say . what she had done. Mr Partington is currently under . police guard at a burns unit, but officers yesterday said they had . ‘significant questions’ to put to him. They have also interviewed Miss . Williams over exactly what happened the night before. Neighbours . described Miss Williams as having a strong personality and said she was . a doting mother to her five children aged between eight and six weeks. She and Mr Partington had been together for five years. The massive explosion flattened number . 11 Buckley Street, where Jamie lived, and number 9, where Mr Partington . lived. The two houses are separated by an alleyway. Surrounding properties were also devastated and structural engineers will have to check each house before residents can return. Andrew Partington, left, who suffered 80 per . cent burns in the blast is believed to have had an argument with his . partner Tanya Williams, right, the night before . the explosion . Charlie . Parker, chief executive of Oldham Council, said there were a number of . properties in the immediate blast area which would have to be . demolished. Ten were seriously affected and . others within the 'inner cordon' would have to be assessed for . structural damage, Mr Parker added. He said the council had been . 'swamped' by contributions for the victims of the blast and appealed for . people to make donations instead. He . said some residents living on the periphery of the blast area should be . able to return to their homes and have their utilities reconnected 'in . the next short period'. A . statement from the council said: ‘Oldham Council is making arrangements . to enable some residents affected by the Shaw explosion to access their . properties. ‘Today we are . urging residents from Gordon Street, Oak Street, Edmund Street and . Chancery Lane to contact us as soon as possible. ‘If . you have not already done so, you should get in touch with Oldham . Council either by going to the Rest Centre at Crompton House school or . calling us direct on 0161 770 7770. ‘If . you live in any of these streets, we urgently need your contact details . so that we can speak to you directly about access to your property. The massive explosion flattened number 11 Buckley Street, where Jamie lived, and number 9, where Mr Partington lived. The two houses are separated by an alleyway. A number of houses caught in the blast zone will have to be demolished . This picture shows the scale of the damage to neighbouring houses as well as the scale of the damage to the three houses in the initial blast . VIDEO: Heartbreaking. Michelle and Kenny Heaton visited the explosion site on Friday .
fighting'. Police have arrested a 32-year-old gas fitter who is believed to have examined a boiler waiting to speak to the couple's next-door the knowledge Jamie died instantly and didn't burns in the blast is believed to have had an right, the night before . the explosion . Charlie