A baby who poured a kettle of boiling water over himself when his mum's back was turned was saved from suffering serious injuries by his 15-year-old brother.

Alfie Burns, aged one, grabbed a freshly boiled kettle as his mum, Janet, was briefly distracted by their pug puppy, Peanut.

While Janet usually does not allow the tot in the kitchen, he had slipped through an open safety gate which had momentarily been left open.

Janet heard the toddler screaming in pain after he doused himself in boiling water - prompting his older brother, Ryan, 15, to dash downstairs from his bedroom.

Glasgow Times:

The teen had completed a course at a fire station before the lockdown, and used the skills he learnt to prevent Alfie from suffering further injuries, by putting him under cool water in the shower.

Ryan said: “I was nervous but I knew I had to keep calm and take control of the situation.

"I just calmly took Alfie to the shower and put the water on.

“Being a firefighter was something I thought I would like to do - but now I know I want to."

Glasgow Times:

Proud mum Janet said: “I had tried to take Alfie’s T-Shirt off of him which Ryan said I shouldn’t have done.

"I actually have no idea what I’d have done without Ryan there – I’m so proud of him.

“I looked away for a split second and Alfie had managed to get a hold of the kettle, he’s not allowed in the kitchen and I’ve got safety gates up but they were open on this one occasion.

“I started panicking.

"I had no idea how it happened and I went into complete shock.

"I was told later that I’d phoned my sister.

"I can’t even remember doing that.”

Glasgow Times:

Paramedics went to the house in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, where Ryan briefed them on what had happened.

Alfie suffered burns to his stomach.

Martin Blunden, Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Ryan has stepped into an extremely stressful and emotional situation and handled it like a true professional.

“His mum is right to be proud of him and I’m extremely happy that we were able to equip Ryan with the skills to be able to help his family at their time of need.

“It’s a moment that Ryan can be extremely proud of, accidents happen and to be there for your brother and mum like he was shows a real level of confidence and bravery.”