A 13-YEAR-OLD scout has been hailed a hero after saving his family from a house fire.

Jonathan Cameron was awarded a special bravery award by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service after his act of bravery.

The scout from Greenock, Renfrewshire, was at home with his mum and little sister when the cooker caught fire.

Jonathan, who was 12 at the time of the fire, raised the alarm before helping his mum and sister to safety.

Proud mum Alison McCready, who "froze" during the blaze said Jonathan knew exactly what to do.

The brave lad said winning the award "felt really good" but that knowing what to do when the fire started was all down to his scout training.

Stay at home mum Allison and Jonathan were cooking when the fire broke out last year.

She said: "Me and Jonathan were in the kitchen cooking and we just smelt this really horrible smell.

"We thought something was burning on one of the rings and I looked at the back of the cooker and it was bright orange and the smell at that point was really bad.

"And then all the electrics tripped so Jonathan called upstairs to his little sister Lily, who was six at the time, to come down.

"For some strange reason, I opened the back door thinking I could air the house and then realised that would make the fire spread.

"Even though the electrics tripped I still ran back in the house and tried to go to the main circuit breaker under the stairs.

"While I was doing that Jonathan was already on the phone to the fire brigade.

"I totally froze but he knew exactly what to do.

"I had no clue what I was doing hence I was doing everything wrong but he knew exactly what to do. He was amazing."

Thanks to Jonathan's quick thinking the fire was contained within the cooker area with the fire brigade appearing just minutes later.

Allison, 38, said: "Thankfully the fire was all contained within the cooker area.

"There was a bit of scorched lino near where the wire had been lying but it was just the cooker so we had to get a brand new cooker.

"It was all a big shock because we had only just moved into this property in October and it’s a brand new house.

"It had just been built so I was terrified the house was going to get burnt.

"But after Jonathan phoned the fire brigade they appeared within minutes and they took everything apart and put the fire out."

Jonathan was commended with a special bravery award last Wednesday in front of his scouts group -- the 32nd Greenock and District at St Patrick’s Primary School.

And his beaming parents Alison McCready and father Donald Cameron, 37, were right by his side.

Mum Alison added: "It was a very proud moment, it really was.

"I didn’t want him to know until he was ready to go because he gets quite nervous.

"He was quite excited and nervous about it but also absolutely delighted.

"He was a bit dumbstruck by it all.

"He didn’t think that it was big a deal at first until everybody started talking about it and that is when he realised what he had done.

"He still just sees it as this being something he had to do and he did it which makes it even bigger for him.

"At 12 you shouldn’t need to know how to do all of that stuff but with his scouts they teach everything."

Brave Jonathan said: "Winning the bravery award feels really good.

"In the scouts they teach you how to deal with fires and these types of situations so I knew what to do.

"My friends at school are saying well done and praising me for winning the award - it’s nice."