HEROES caught a four-year-old girl lowered from a burning flat before braving the scorching flames in a desperate bid to save her mother.

Jamie Glander and Justin Kelly were finishing a shift at the One Stop, in St John’s Road, Clacton, when they noticed a fire taking hold in a nearby flat.

A mother and her young daughter were trapped inside, with thick smoke quickly spreading.

Witnesses told of how the pair, both aged in their 20s, sprang into action, first catching the little girl as her mother lowered her from the window of the first story flat.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, was alerted to the commotion at around 11pm on Tuesday.

She watched as Jamie used a fire extinguisher to try to get into the flat in a desperate bid to save the mother.

“They were banging on our doors to get us out,” she said.

“The two lads, Jamie and Justin, were absolutely brilliant.

“They managed to get the little girl out.

“But he was overcome by the smoke, he was inside the entrance but the flames were too much.

“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think the little girl would’ve got out alive.”

Fire engines from Clacton and Weeley arrived at the scene, with crews pitching a ladder to the window to rescue the mother.

Watch manager Ruben Frost, from Clacton Fire Station, said: “The actions of these members of the public were truly selfless.

“When they saw the fire they tried to tackle it with a fire extinguisher.

“Once it was clear that the occupants couldn’t get out of the flat they also helped to rescue the child by catching them after being lowered out of the window.

“These two people were incredibly brave and selflessly did everything they could to help the occupants of the flat.”

Firefighters extinguished the flames, which were contained to the room where the fire started, but said the rest of the property has suffered smoke damage.

The rescue efforts left Jamie suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and he was given treatment at the scene.

The blazing heat of the flames caused his trainers to melt.

The neighbour added: “The two lads have worked there for a while and they’re both lovely guys.

“Now they are heroes.”

The cause of the fire was found to be accidental.