Brave & fearless

A fearless six-year-old girl called a "superhero" for running into her burning home to wake her sleeping family has been nominated for a Pride of Britain award.

- CALLY BROOKS

Olivia Patterson was playing in her friend's garden when she spotted flames coming from the roof of her home on April 4.

She told her pal's mum, then sprinted back to the house and rushed in to alert her loved ones.

Her care-worker mum Laura-Lee Patterson, 29, says Olivia's "instinct to protect her family kicked in".

She adds: "At the time, flames were spreading across the roof of the property and the ceiling was collapsing. She knew we were having a nap inside the house and ran to wake us up and get us out."

Even though smoke was filling the council-owned property in Riccall, North Yorks, Olivia dashed through the front door, shouting: "Fire, fire, fire, wake the babies."

Laura had been asleep with Olivia's two younger siblings Tiffany Rose Austin, two, and Joel-James Edward Austin, 17 months when the fire broke out.

The fire brigade believed it started in a bedroom next door.

Laura says: "Olivia refers to her siblings as babies. For a six-year-old, what she did was very brave. We had been asleep for at least 20 minutes before Olivia alerted us.