A TEENAGER who rescued her grandmother from a house fire has been rewarded for her bravery.

Beth Morton was awarded the Chief Officer's Commendation at Cleveland Fire Brigade's headquarters, in Hartlepool, yesterday.

The 13-year-old was at her grandmother's bungalow in Normanby, Middlesbrough, last month when a fire broke out.

The youngster heard the smoke alarm and went to investigate, finding a fire in the kitchen. She closed the door to prevent the fire spreading and left by the front door.

Beth then ran round to the back of the house, in Hampstead Road.

Dashing in through the patio doors, she rescued her 70-year-old grandmother, Molly Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, from the smoke-filled lounge and carried her to safety.

Beth was awarded the commendation from Chief Fire Officer John Doyle.

He said: "What Beth did was extremely brave, and if it was not for her swift actions, the outcome of this incident could have been very different.

"The grandparent's home had a working smoke alarm that alerted Beth to the fire early, and she was able to rescue her grandmother.

"She did the right thing by closing the kitchen door when she discovered the fire, which would have helped prevent the fire from spreading further.

"I am delighted to be presenting Beth with a Chief Fire Officer's Commendation, which she thoroughly deserves."