An eight-year-old boy from Watford has been praised for his maturity and calmness as he rang emergency services to inform them of a fire raging in a neighbouring house.

Cody Peterson, of Cardiff Road, alerted Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue to the blaze at the home around 7pm on Thursday, March 18, as his parents rushed over to see if they could help.

As a result of his swift actions, crews from Watford, Garston and Rickmansworth were soon on the scene and fighting the fierce fire which had started in the living room on the ground floor.

The neighbour was not at home at the time of the fire and was safely accounted for later on.

‘Cody showed superb skill when making the call’

It had been just an ordinary evening for Cody until his father Ray noticed the fire at their neighbour's house.

Along with Cody’s mother Jo, who was armed with a fire extinguisher, the two rushed to the house to see if they could put out the fire.

But Jo soon realised the fire extinguisher she was carrying would have been no use due to the severity of the fire.

Concerned for their neighbour, who rarely goes out at night, Ray broke through the front door but could see the fire was raging in the living-room.

As his parents tried to help, Cody dialled 999 and provided all the necessary information required by Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service for them to attend.

Fire crews extinguished the fire using two hose reels and four sets of breathing apparatus, while neighbours carried out a local search for the resident who was found safe and well around an hour after the accidental fire broke out.

Cody and Jo appeared on the BBC to share the story.

Cody said he was “really worried” about the fire but wanted to “be brave” and help.

He said: “I called the emergency services and asked for the fire brigade. I told them where to come and that there was a big fire. I was a bit scared, but I stayed calm.”

Jo said: “We were all panicking, apart from Cody really! He just took it all in his stride – he knew where to direct them and explained what was going on. It’s the first time he’s ever had to deal with anything like that before. We’ve always made him aware of what to do in an emergency, but he’s never had to put it into practice until that night.”

“He was really calm. When I came back a few minutes later, he was still on the phone – and was still chatting to them and telling them what was going on. We were really, really proud of him that night, so proud of him.”

Hertfordshire County Council’s Director of Community Protection and Chief Fire Officer Darryl Keen said Cody showed “incredible presence of mind while making a 999 call to us”.

He said: “His superb skills when making the call showed a maturity beyond his years and impressed us with how calmly he listened and answered our questions in what was a potentially life-threatening situation. 

“He was able to provide us with an address and exactly what had happened so far, what he could see and that both his mum and dad had gone to help but were away from the fire.

"Under the pressures of an emergency such as this we have many callers who find it difficult to relay this information accurately, but Cody was amazing. He should be extremely proud of himself.”

Watford Observer: Cody has been given a certificate for his actions (photo BBC)Cody has been given a certificate for his actions (photo BBC)

Cody was presented with a Certificate of Excellence from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Control Room at his school this week – St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Harrow.