The brother of a Royston firefighter who died 10 years ago this week has praised the fire service for the support it has given his family over the years.

Royston Crow: Harrow CourtHarrow Court (Image: Archant)

Tom Wornham’s brother Jeff died alongside Michael Miller as the pair tried to save a woman from a tower block fire at Harrow Court in Stevenage.

On Monday the anniversary of their deaths was marked in a ceremony held by the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Tom, 40, told the Crow: “They have given a great deal of comfort to my family over the years and it has been an immense support to my mother and father.

“It was a poignant remembrance on Monday but I would like to thank them for doing it.

Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer said: “Those brave young men were taken too soon.

“We don’t always get it right but one thing we can assure you is they will never be forgotten, we will always remember them.”

The fire 10 years ago was caused when a small ‘tea-light’ candle was left on top of a television. As the two firefighters were trying to rescue mother-of-two Natalie Close, a rapid flashover fire erupted, their breathing apparatus failed and they were overcome by the intense heat.