A 10-YEAR-OLD Camborne lad who acted quickly to save his family from a house fire has been hailed a hero by a social housing company.

When Rayen Molton awoke to the sight and smell of smoke upstairs, he acted swiftly to call 999, wake his mum Karen and get her out of the house. His quick thinking ensured mum and son escaped without injury, although they lost a number of posessions including many of Rayen’s beloved toys.

“We are incredibly lucky to be alive,” said Karen. “Words can’t describe how grateful I am that Rayen woke up and saw the smoke. Within minutes, the fire service was on the scene and extinguishing the fire.

“I tell Rayen every day how brilliant he is, and I’m so proud of him. Everyone who has helped us since has been so incredibly kind. People ask what we have lost in terms of belongings, but I prefer to think of it as what we have saved.”

Coastline Housing’s out-of-hours manager Tanya Bauer arranged for alternative temporary accommodation in Camborne and set about purchasing emergency furniture and bedding.

“Without Rayen’s quick actions, the fire service told us we would have potentially been looking at a fatal fire which doesn’t even bear thinking about,” Tanya explained. “Despite losing so many of his toys, he’s remained incredibly brave and caring throughout the experience.”

A Coastline team worked to decontaminate items that could be saved from the house, removed items that couldn’t and made the home safe. Repair work to bring it back to a habitable condition will take some time.

Tanya visited the family at their new home with operatives Lennie and Carl, who were delighted to present Rayen with toys to replace those lost in the fire.

Tanya also thanked the owner of Cornwall Furniture Outlet on Cardrew Industrial Estate, who made a special trip out of hours to deliver the beds and assemble them for Rayen and Karen at their new temporary home. “It’s been a true team effort,” she said.