THE heroic firefighter who suffered horrific burns in a fatal house blaze has been awarded £2.2 million compensation.

Steve Morris was seriously injured as he tried to rescue the family trapped inside the burning home.

And Mumtaz Chishty, who survived the inferno that killed his wife and grandaughter, has welcomed the payment and said Mr Morris “deserves every penny”.

Hameeda Begum, aged 71, Mr Chishty’s wife, and his granddaughter Alana Mian, died in the fire at his home in Little Holme Walk, Great Lever, five years ago.

Mr Morris was aged 38 when the crew at Bolton Central fire station were called to the address and desperately tried to rescue the sleeping family inside.

Mr Chishty said: “It is really good news that he has got this money. I pray he can get some happiness.

“What he did I saw with my own eyes, how he went inside to help my wife and children. I send him my best wishes and I think he really deserves the money.”

Mr Chishty added: “I don’t think £2.2 million is enough. He should get more than that for what he has been through.“ Mr Morris was awarded the fire service’s highest bravery award for his actions that night.

He fled the building like a “human fireball”, his clothing and boots melted by the heat, and 50 per cent of his body was burnt.

Mr Morris’s injuries required extensive skin grafts and kept him in hospital for months after the blaze, ending his career as a firefighter.

As he escaped from the fire he broke his elbow and damaged his spine and had to learn to walk again.

His catastrophic injuries also meant he had to have his fingers amputated.

After years of negotiations Manchester-based solicitors Thompson’s have settled Mr Morris’s compensation claim.

The company declined to comment and said Mr Morris did not want to comment.

The fire service also declined to comment.

An investigation concluded that the blaze had been started deliberately, but no-one has been prosecuted for the crime.

An inquest, held in 2010, found Alana and her grandmother had been unlawfully killed.