A ELDERLY woman has been praised after her quick thinking helped to save her son from a raging fire which destroyed the kitchen of her home in Walton.

Val Oakley, 86, rushed to a neighbour's home to call the fire service after her 64-year-old son, Sean, discovered the blaze in the kitchen of the semi-detached house in Southview Drive.

Firefighters originally thought Mrs Oakley had been rescued by Sean, but her other son, Neil Oakley, said: "It was more like the other way round - she helped to get him out of the house.

"Sean went out to make a cup of tea and he saw the fridge was smoking. When he opened the fridge the fire roared out.

"He called mum' and she shouted to him to get out and then rushed to our neighbour to ring the fire brigade."

Mrs Oakley is now staying in Kirby Cross with Neil.