A MOTHER wants her neighbour decorated as a hero after he saved the lives of her two young children trapped as flames tore through her Bournemouth flat.

When Mike Shave heard the desperate screams of mum Sarah Dimmer, who was locked out of her burning home, he raced to her aid - kicking down her front door and helping her pull her toddler son, baby daughter and family dog to safety.

The drama yesterday morning at Paddington Grove in West Howe also saw fire officers using oxygen masks to resuscitate the family's two kittens, also trapped as black smoke billowed through the rooms.

"As far as I'm concerned Mike is a lifesaver. He's amazing," said single mum Sarah, 20, speaking from her badly smoke damaged home.

"I want to do something to show him how much I appreciate what he's done. He's a real hero and should be rewarded for his actions."

Sarah says the nightmare began just before 8am when her two-and-a-half-year-old son Kieran woke her up.

She said: "I got up and noticed yellow light coming from the living room. The sofa was ablaze. At that point my fire alarm went off."

In her panic Sarah rushed out of her flat looking for help, but her front door slammed behind her, trapping inside Kieran, nine-month-old sister Chloe, kittens Gizmo and Nemo and Indy the dog.

"I kept screaming 'My children are going to die'," said Sarah. "I couldn't get to them and was frantic."

Mike, who lives upstairs, said: "My girlfriend opened the door and we could hear screaming and the alarm. I ran down and kicked the door in to get the kids out.

"I didn't think, I just did it. Anybody would have done the same. It was a normal reaction."

The drama and the sound of the fire alarm alerted all the residents in the block and the neighbouring building, and more than 20 residents evacuated their homes.

Sarah says she believes the blaze was started by Kieran playing with her cigarette lighter.

Dorset Fire and Rescue sub officer Stuart Jeneson, from Redhill fire station, said: "They are very lucky. I've been to fires a lot less severe than that where people have died. We were very fortunate this time.

"We're currently running a campaign about the importance of smoke alarms.

"The smoke alarm in this instance worked and alerted the other people in the building.

"The message we are sending out is 'If your smoke alarm doesn't work you might as well not have one'."

First published: September 17