A YOUNG woman who helped to save an elderly couple from a house fire has been praised by her boss.

Tania Francis was cycling to work along Straight Road, Colchester, when she spotted the fire.

The 20-year-old flagged down two men in a passing car, who ran to the blazing bungalow, and dialled 999.

Tania said: “I glanced over my shoulder to see if there were any cars coming and spotted the smoke.

“It was thick, black smoke, so I knew it wasn’t a bonfire.

“I walked down to see and noticed the flames over the roof.”

Conscientious Tania, who works at the Magnolia Co-Operative store in Shrub End Road, even rang her boss to tell her she was running a bit late on Monday morning.

The rescuers led Donald Cranfield and his wife out of the property and she waited with them until the fire service arrived.

She then made her way to work, leaving them with only her first name.

After the Gazette ran an appeal, her boss Sue Kenway realised how resourceful her employee had been.

Mrs Kenway, duty manager at the store, said: “The way Tania was talking about it, it was like a bonfire that she just called the fire brigade for. She just said ‘sorry I’m late’.

“When I opened the paper and saw the damage, that was what really shocked me. I’ve shown the paper to most of our customers. I’m really proud of her.”

Tania is a reluctant heroine though, adding: “I didn’t think I’d done anything that big. I just did what I think anyone would have done.”

Mr Cranfield, his son Graham and firefighters have praised Tania for her quick thinking, which prevented the fire from spreading further and may well have stopped the couple inside being seriously injured.