A 16-year-old girl has been called ‘exceedingly brave’ after 'helping to save the lives' of three men who were injured in a boat fire at Bourne End Marina.

Kevin Healy, 80, was one of three men on a £120k boat docked in the marina on Tuesday, June 18 when a reportedly accidental fire broke out onboard.

Mr Healy told the BBC he and his friends owed their lives to a 16-year-old from Maidenhead called Olivia who, “very gallantly and without any regard of her own safety”, ran over to help after spotting the boat alight.

He said the fire came about when the Chris Craft Corsair 25’s engine turned over, after which there was a “violent explosion”, with “immediate” flames springing up.

Olivia, who helped Mr Healy's friend out of the boat and brought a cold flannel to soothe his burns, told the broadcaster “everyone would have done” what she did – though the 80-year-old, who lives in Sheffield, disagreed.

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He said: “A lot of people would have just run away. She was exceedingly brave to come immediately without any regard for her personal safety to help me and the others.

“We got away with our lives and Olivia was very much a part of that.”

The three men were all taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on June 18, one with serious burns and two with minor injuries.

A spokesperson for the South Central Ambulance Service said the most seriously injured victim was in a “potentially life-threatening condition” but is now believed to be in recovery.