A HERO dad today praised firefighters who abandoned the picket line to help save his baby daughter's mother when fire broke out in a block of flats.

Paul Stephens, 21, rescued ten-month-old Kimberly from the family home in Southampton but he couldn't go back in to get partner Kelley Nolan because of choking smoke.

The builder said: "It was lucky the firefighters were there - Kelly could have died otherwise."

Last night's drama at Mount Pleasant Road, Bevois Valley, was the latest in a line of life-threatening incidents in the county to which striking firefighters responded.

Paul leapt into action after toxic smoke from a downstairs flat boiler billowed up the communal staircase, making escape impossible.

He cradled baby Kimberly in his arms and rushed to the window of their first-floor flat, calling for help.

Another neighbour climbed up a wall and on to the flat roof of a flat a few feet below - and the girl was handed down to him by Paul.

But Paul's girlfriend Kelly, 21, who suffers from asthma, was trapped in the family flat - and was too scared to jump on to the roof below.

She was rescued by firefighters from St Mary's and Redbridge fire stations. Five crews turned out.

Firefighters Dusty Benning, Steve Evans and Tim O'Donnell used a ladder to bring Kelly down to safety.

Nigel Cooper, leading firefighter at St Mary's white watch, said: "The important issue here is that someone has been saved."

Both Kelly and her daughter was taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital for check ups following the incident at 6.10pm.

Union officials today pledged Hampshire firefighters would continue to leave picket lines if told that lives were at risk across the county.

Today Colin Burford, Fire Brigades' Union Redbridge branch representative, said: "We are still here for the public.

"None of us want to be on the picket lines and if we are told lives are at risk we will still go out.

"We would urge people to still ring 999 for help. They should not try going through any other channels in an emergency situation."

A Green Goddess crew did not attend the Bevois Valley incident after hearing that the fire brigade was on its way.

However, in the light of the drama, Royal Navy crews who man the ageing appliances are to turn up to similar incidents regardless.

Yesterday firefighters from Hightown and St Mary's stations in Southampton joined their Eastleigh counterparts to help at the scene of a five-vehicle motorway pile-up.

Initial reports at 9.45am suggested two people were trapped in the smash on the westbound M27 at Hedge End.

Firefighters raced to the scene and found one driver trapped inside his vehicle.

Two Green Goddesses from Netley and Eastleigh were also despatched to the scene. One stayed on to help after crews found fire brigade units already there.

One man was cut from the wreckage of his car by firefighters using specialist cutting-equipment. He was taken to Southampton General Hospital for treatment.

The motorway pile-up - which caused the westbound M27 to remain closed around the junction seven slip-road for several hours - was just one of several emergency calls that caused Hampshire firefighters to leave the picket lines over the weekend.

Other incidents included over the last few days included:

A road accident in Bubb Lane, Horton Heath. A man had to be cut from his car

A blaze at the Explosion museum site in Gosport.

A crash on the Petersfield Road near Alton where Winchester firefighters helped cut one casualty free

A house fire at Gordon Avenue, Highcliffe, Winchester.