A BRAVE international rugby star has told how he kicked a door down to save a man from a burning house during a fierce blaze.

Gordon Reid was out doing some Sunday chores when he noticed flames were beginning to engulf a bungalow across the street in Coylton.

The 32-year-old who was part of Scotland’s World Cup campaign in Japan has told how he went into “Fireman Sam” mode as he rushed to the on-fire bungalow with a bucket of water to try put out the flames.

But he arrived to thick black smoke pouring out from the property where he decided to take action.

Gordon told the Advertiser: “I was out putting some washing in the tumble dryer out the back.

“I could smell some smoke and I thought my tumble dryer had broken I looked over and could see flames were coming out from across the road at the neighbours.

“I went and got a bucket of water and went over with it just to try and put it out, the flames were just getting bigger and bigger so I gave them a good throw and tired to get as much of the flames out as possible. I banged on the guys window to try and get the guys attention but he couldn’t hear me so I just kicked the door down, went in through the backdoor he was just getting up when I went in, grabbed him and just pulled him out. The smoke was horrendous in the place.”

Gordon’s wife called an ambulance and brought out more buckets of water as the unknown man feared that someone else might be in the house.

The rugby hero ran back into the house scouring the property in thick black smoke in a panic that another person could be trapped.

But Gordon was left stunned when he returned from entering the house a third time to find the man fleeing the scene holding two bags.

He added: “I pulled him out and I said are you alright and my wife called an ambulance. I asked him is there anyone else still in the house and he said yeah there is. So I went round the front, kicked down the front door there was less smoke there, but the smoke was too thick I couldn’t see anything. I had to crawl about to see if I could see anything, I had to do it room by room, checking the cupboards or anything. I came back out and he’s legged it down the road, sprinting with two bags in his hands. I didn’t really know what to think about it, I didn’t know if it was his house or it wasn’t his house.

“In my head I was still thinking there is somebody else in the house, so I went back for the third time, by this time the fire brigade had came.”

Gordon was given oxygen by paramedics after battling through the smoke which had covered the house.

He told how his four-year-old daughter and wife were pleading with him not to go back into the bungalow for a third time.

Gordon added: “The smoke was the main factor, the fire was down to a controllable level, he was round the back trying to put it out at the time. You couldn’t actually see anything, the day light wasn’t going through the window because of the smoke “My wife and my girl were there.They were shouting at me because I went back in, my four-year-old was giving me abuse because I was going back in, “She was shouting at me ‘daddy you are being silly’.”

“My chest was a bit tight when I first came out, but I had some oxygen and was fine after that.”

Fire crews arrived at the scene where they controlled the blaze, Gordon posted a video on social media, showing him with an oxygen mask on and he praised firefighters for their quick response.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 9.57am on Sunday, November 24 to reports of a fire at a property at Hillhead. Operations Control mobilised two fire appliances to the scene, where crews extinguished a fire within the single-storey property.

“Firefighters administered oxygen therapy to one casualty who had assisted another member of the public at the scene.

“Crews left after ensuring the area was made safe.”

Police are investigating the blaze which they believe was started deliberately. 

A spokesperson for Police Scotland told the Advertiser: "The fire is believed to have been started deliberately and inquiries are now ongoing.

“Anyone with information can call 101, quoting incident 1397 of November 24, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”