Award for teenage fire hero

Iolo rescued a mother and her baby from a blazing house

A 14-year-old boy who rescued his neighbour and her baby from a blazing house fire has received a commendation from the fire service for his bravery.

Iolo Rhys Edwards, from Penrhyndeudraeth near Porthmadog, made the heroic rescue after hearing screams from a neighbour's house in the early hours of the morning last Christmas.

He scrambled onto a wall and then jumped onto the slate roof of a porch to reach the neighbour and her 20-month-old baby who were in the window of a first floor bedroom in the burning house.

Chief Fire Officer Simon Smith will officially present the commendation award on Monday evening.

"His actions on the night of the fire undoubtedly saved his neighbour and her son's lives," he said.

"He did everything just right and of his own initiative which shows him as a caring and mature individual."

I don't think I'm a hero - I did a small thing that fire brigade people do all the time

Iolo Rhys Edwards

Simon Bromley from Porthmadog Fire Station said it was very rare for the fire service to hand out the accolade and even rarer for a boy of Iolo's age to receive it.

"It is a fantastic achievement. Only about three or four are given out every year.

"It is very infrequently given to a person of Iolo's age.

"The awards go to people who have shown a lot of bravery and have taken actions which have saved people's lives."

Iolo jumped onto a slate roof of a lean-to to reach the window

The incident happened just after midnight on 21 December, 2002 as Iolo, who was then 13, was up late chatting to his parents and a friend.

"I went down for a chat and the next thing we heard the lady shouting from the window 'Help, help, the house is on fire'," he recalls.

"I ran out of the kitchen and jumped on top of a wall, then onto a slate roof and jumped across to the window where the lady was shouting with her baby.

"I grabbed the baby and passed it down to my mum.

"Then I went back up to help the lady out and went back to the house to call 999."

Iolo's quick thinking did not stop there.

He also alerted the elderly neighbour who lived next door to the burning house and ran down the road to meet fire crews to guide them to the blaze.

Simon Bromley: "fantastic achievement"

Despite being hailed a hero for his actions, Iolo is very modest about what he did.

"I get a lot of stick about it at school.

"I don't think I'm a hero - I did a small thing that fire brigade people do all the time.

"I don't really like being called a hero."