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A 16-year-old boy was hailed as a hero after he managed to drag his younger sister to safety from their burning home.

Karl Politi waded through thick smoke to unbolt three deadlocks on a kitchen door to drag 13-year-old Donna to safety after a can of fly spray exploded in her face as she grilled burgers.

The blast was so strong that kitchen and bedroom windows in the house, in Salford, Manchester, were shattered by powerful shockwaves, but Donna escaped with only superficial burns to her face.

Paul Politi - father of Donna and Karl - admitted his daughter had cheated death after the blaze, with a senior firefighter stating it was the worst explosion he'd seen in his 30-year career.

"She has been incredibly lucky," said 41-year-old Mr Politti.

“The fire service said they had never seen anyone walk away from a blast like it.”

The aerosol cannister of highly-flammable fly spray is understood to have been next to the oven where Donna was grilling the burgers.

She had just returned home to Oak Grove in Patricroft, near Eccles, from her first day back at Salford City Academy.