A GWENT builder is being praised for his bravery after rescuing a woman from her burning kitchen.

Mark Bryan, (pictured) 35, of Liswerry, was working at Colin and June Hislop's bungalow in Broad Common Close, Liswerry, yesterday morning when he and colleague Philip Naylon, 53, saw flames licking out of the kitchen window.

Mr Naylon said: "Mark saw the flames shortly before me and as soon as he saw them he shot into the house so fast that not even Linford Christie could have caught him. He came back with her (June Hislop).

"She was in a terrible state of shock, kept talking very excitedly and couldn't get her words together.

"I saw that she had a burnt arm which was causing her pain so after I phoned the fire brigade I phoned the ambulance and a neighbour took her next door."

While emergency services were alerted, Mr Bryan grabbed an outside hosepipe and dashed back inside the blazing kitchen.

He told the Argus: "Throughout it all I didn't think about what I was doing. I just acted on pure adrenaline.

"I just thought about getting June out and then saving the house. "Philip was screaming at me when he realised where I was but all I could think about was saving the house."

He added: "I suppose looking back it could have been a lot worse and it's only now when I think about it that I realise how much worse things could have been."

Firefighters from Maindee arrived within 10 minutes but the fire was already out. Mr Hislop, who had been in the shed at the bottom of the garden, was unaware of what had happened.

He came into the bungalow to see Mr Bryant spraying his smoke-filled kitchen with water. Fire officer Eric Bellew, who headed the crew which attended, said: "When we got there the job was already done for us and if it wasn't for his quick thinking there is no doubt that the house would have been lost."

He said the fire started as Mrs Hislop made beeswax polish on her gas cooker. He advised anyone in a similar situation to shut the kitchen door, call the fire brigade and get out as soon as possible.

Mrs Hislop is recovering at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, and is expected to be allowed home in the next few days.