BRAVE Lee McGinlay has been praised by firefighters after saving his mother and brother from a blaze at their family home.

The 25-year-old, who has Down's syndrome, sprang into action when flames took over his house.

Running from his room, he helped his brother Sean and mum Anne-Marie escape the home while firefighters made their way to the scene.

To thank him for his bravery, crews at Calton Community Fire Station welcomed Lee and his nine-year-old nephew Ben to their ranks for a series of training drills.

Group Manager Jim Cavanagh said: "This was a serious fire that really would likely have ended in tragedy had it not been for Lee's quick actions.

"The fire very rapidly spread and the home was badly affected by intense heat, flames and thick toxic smoke.

"By immediately getting himself and his brother straight out Lee undoubtedly prevented very serious injury or even the tragic loss of life.

"He was a firefighter that night and we're delighted to say he's part of the Calton team."

The blaze took hold of Lee's house, on Newbank Road in Lillybank, on January 4 shortly before midnight.

Following a 999 call at 11.45pm, crews from the Calton station arrived around four minutes later to find an already intense fire inside a bedroom at the semi-detached home.

A team of four firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the house and attacked the fire using a high pressure jet.

Watch Manager Gus Young, the incident commander, said: "Flames were coming out the window so it was immediately clear this wasn't a minor fire and there would be extensive damage to the property.

"Thankfully Lee, his brother and his mum were already outside. If they hadn't gotten out so quickly then we would almost certainly have been looking at a tragedy."

He added: "It was a pleasure to have Lee and his family with us at the station - we wanted to acknowledge the courage and quick thinking he showed when confronted with a life-threatening fire, which really did make all the difference."

Lee and Anne Marie received precautionary check-ups from paramedics at the scene of the fire, while Sean was taken to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary with mild burns and smoke inhalation.

The blaze caused significant damage to their home and the family has been temporarily re-housed while work to restore it is completed.

Visiting the Calton crews with his family, Lee was presented with a certificate of achievement from the City of Glasgow SFRS team commending him for his actions and was given his own firefighter's helmet.

The station's Group Four crews handed him a gift card to replace PlayStation games he lost in the fire, while his favourite football team, Celtic, sent a signed football with a personal message from manager Ronny Deila.

Before he and Ben joined the crews outside to complete a series of drills, Lee said: "Thanks for everything you've done. I was a firefighter that night - now I'm one of your crew. It's great."

The most recent statistics show 11 people in Glasgow were injured in fires during the final three months of 2014.

Group Manager Cavanagh added: "Firefighters have seen many incidents where lives have been changed or even lost through incidents that need never have happened.

"Often a little support and advice from local crews is all it takes but many people can be reluctant to ask for help, so that's why the public have a crucial role to play.

"We all need to ask ourselves if we know someone who could be at higher risk. If we do then it's easy to put them in touch with the fire service and help them stay safe and confident in their homes."

"On a free home fire safety visit our crews will point out fire hazards and help someone take very easy steps to address them."

To arrange a visit call SFRS on the freephone number 0800 073 1999 or text 'FIRE' to 80800, which is also free of charge.

Visits can also be arranged via the SFRS website www.firescotland.gov.uk