A ten-year-old boy and two teenagers have been praised for their quick thinking which stopped the spread of a potentially lethal fire.

Primary school pupil Bradley Richards, Jamie Billing, 17, and Simon Grogan, 17, had been chatting in the garden of Jamie and Bradley's house in Wadham Road, Liskeard, when they noticed smoke coming from the top of the property. The blaze, which is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, had taken hold of the attic and was threatening to spread further.

Simon, a member of Saltash Fire Cadets, put his knowledge to good use as the trio set about controlling the blaze with fire extinguishers that Jamie's father, Chris Butt, kept in the garage.

Jamie's mother, Caroline Butt, said: 'My husband kept those fire extinguishers when they were throwing them away at work. He said "you never know when we might need one". Simon knew where they were in the garage because he and Chris are often tinkering about in there.

Jamie and Simon tackled the fire and contained it until the fire brigade arrived. Ten-year-old Bradley also helped the duo contain the fire.

'When the fire brigade arrived they said if it had been a few minutes longer it all would have gone up,' Caroline added.

'If it wasn't for their quick thinking we could possibly have lost everything.'

Two appliances from Liskeard attended the scene and the crew used four sets of breathing apparatus and a hosereel jet.

Jamie, a construction student at Saltash College, and Simon had to stay overnight in hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation during their exploits but are now both fully recovered. Caroline and Chris are keen to thank everybody who helped them during the blaze.

Caroline said: 'We would like to express our sincere thanks to all members of Liskeard Fire Brigade for their quick response and brilliant work in saving our house and looking after our children. We would also like to thank all the neighbours for all their offers of help and refreshments. Special thanks go to Jamie and Simon, we can't thank them enough for what they did – very well done.'