TWO brave youngsters who defied smoke and flames in a desperate attempt to save a bedridden pensioner have been commended for their bravery by police chiefs and civic leaders.

Gerard Shannon and Sean Wiseman had gone into a flameravaged building in a vain effort to save Sylvia Van Cuylenburg who, along with her two dogs, died in the blaze at her home in Beaulieu Road, Eastleigh.

The pair helped break in through the door and then fought through the thick smoke trying to find the 61-year-old when the fire broke out on Easter Sunday last year.

Gerard, 18, who now lives in Sholing, said: “We were nearby when we heard a man shouting that there was a fire and that there was someone trapped inside.

“Some of the neighbours managed to break through the door. We ran in and tried to search the kitchen. We had to go outside to breath and then we went back in to see if she was in the living room.

“We had to leave about five times to get air and we still hadn’t been able to get to her when the firefighters arrived.

“We didn’t want to get in their way so we went around the back and tried to break in that way as we thought we knew where she was. But then they brought her body out.”

Sean Wiseman, also 18, of Merry Oak, said: “It was horrible inside. We couldn’t breathe or see. We were only thinking about trying to save her.

“I kept thinking how I would feel if one of my family was trapped inside and that I would want people to do everything they could to help.

“I try to do what I would want someone else to do for me. We were probably inside for about five minutes, but it felt like a lot longer.”

The pair received the Operations Command Unit Commander’s Police Award for their courage, presented by Eastleigh mayor, Pamela Holden-Brown.

Acting Chief Inspector Kelly Whiting said: “The media is often dominated by stories of young people doing wrong.

Here is an example of two young men whose bravery is unquestionable and who risked their own lives to try to save another. Their award is welldeserved.”