A 5-year-old boy is recovering from severe burns he suffered during a fire that, neighbors say, he intentionally started Monday because he was not allowed to go to the park.

The fire broke out shortly after 3:00 p.m. at 708 Knickerbocker Ave. in Bushwick. Flames engulfed the first-floor apartment, where the boy, whose name has not been released, was staying with his grandmother.

Ramona Santos, a family friend, says she was inside the apartment just before the fire broke out and heard the pre-schooler make a threat.

?The grandma and me [were] talking,? Santos says, ?and he told my girls, ?I'm going to start a fire.? When we went to the park 10 minutes later, the building caught fire.?

Four other people were injured in the blaze. According to the Red Cross, they are providing temporary housing to at least one of the four families that lost their homes as a result of the fire.