Now that his breathing tubes have been removed, a 10-year-old special-needs boy who told relatives he was intentionally set on fire by another boy earlier this month maintains the act was not an accident, The Post has learned.

Kayden Culp, of Kerrville, Texas, remains in intensive care at a hospital in San Antonio after suffering third-degree burns on his arm, chest and neck when he and three other boys — ages 9, 10 and 11 — started a fire inside a shed near his home Oct. 2. Doctors removed his breathing tubes Tuesday, allowing him to speak for the first time since suffering burns on about 20 percent of his body.

The boy’s aunt, Alike Richardson, told The Post that he’s maintaining that the boy facing first-degree arson charges in the incident set him on fire on purpose — and not accidentally, as investigators maintain.

“He’s continuing with that story,” Richardson told The Post. “We’re not trying to pressure him to say anything. We’re just trying to keep him comfortable enough to keep fighting. He’s doing great at that. I’m really proud of him.”

Now that Kayden is starting to talk, Richardson said, he’s made statements that he wants to move out of the neighborhood. He also told his grandmother that the boys burned him on purpose and not mistakenly, she said.

“He said, ‘Grandma, they burned me,’” she said. “He also said something about being stepped on.”

Richardson said Kayden made similar statements to relatives in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Asked directly if Kayden believes the boy burned him intentionally, Richardson replied: “He does, that he does. And that’s why the parents haven’t been speaking.”

Kayden’s mother, Tristyn Hatchett, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. But she confirmed Richardson’s account on her Facebook page, saying her son is now able to speak.

“Today was a great day,” Hatchett wrote Tuesday. “They have removed the breathing tube! We have started to decrease the sedatives (not that they could keep my boy down anyway) and now he is able to speak! His voice will be heard.”

Hatchett previously posted that the incident “was no accident” and has asked for advice seeking an attorney. She has yet to hire one, Richardson told The Post.

Hatchett on Monday said Kayden finished his skin graft surgeries, as doctors worked on his right arm, right shoulder and chest. Doctors will learn on Thursday whether the grafts will be accepted by his body, she posted on Facebook. He has other health issues to deal with as well, in addition to his pre-existing speech impediment due to hearing loss.

“His lungs are still fighting the pneumonia,” Hatchett wrote on Facebook Monday. “He did wake up twice in the operating room. They just have to keep sedating him further and increasing his pain medicines. He is a big, strong boy. He is still on the ventilator due to all the sedatives. He will remain on the ventilator until further notice. His vitals all look good under these circumstances and he has remained stable. Today was another step forward.”

A University Hospital spokeswoman confirmed to The Post that Kayden remained in intensive care. She declined to provide additional information, citing privacy laws.

Kerrville Police Officer Juan Trevizo said investigators, including the city’s fire marshal, are continuing to investigate the incident. Additional charges will be filed if they determine another crime has been committed and investigators will “more likely than not” want to interview Kayden now that he’s able to talk, Trevizo said.

Trevizo told The Post earlier this month that Kayden and three other boys started a small fire inside a shed and wanted to make it larger. One of the boys grabbed a canister of gasoline and poured it onto the fire. Investigators believe the boy then threw the canister away from him, inadvertently striking Kayden. Trevizo reiterated that the act did not appear to be intentional to investigators.

“None of the evidence points to that,” he said last week.

Meanwhile, Richardson said Kayden has received hundreds of letters of support, some from as far away as China. His parents have avoided speaking to the media because they’re still in shock and remain angry, Richardson said, adding that doctors expect Kayden to be hospitalized for at least two months, with up to seven months of physical therapy to follow.

But for now, Richardson said, Kayden’s parents are singularly focused on seeing their son recover — and not additional charges for the juvenile arrested for first-degree arson.

“They just want him well,” Richardson told The Post. “The rest of that stuff will happen in due time. We’re just trying to make sure justice is done for Kayden.”