The family of a Banstead firefighter, who died while rescuing two brothers from a burning building, have spoken of their devastation at losing an "entirely loveable man".

Bill Faust, 36, a father of three young children, and his colleague Adam Meere, 27, suffered severe injuries when a roof collapsed at the three-storey building in east London last Tuesday.

The men were taken to hospital, but died shortly after. It was the first double death in the fire service for eight years.

This week, Mr Faust's wife Michelle was consoling their twin daughters Mea and Pearl, aged four, and six-year-old son William, at the family home in Banstead.

In a joint statement, the family paid tribute to Bill. It read: "Bill was an easy-going, modest and entirely loveable man, who was a vital and devoted member of our family.

"His children will most particularly suffer by no longer having the wonderful daddy that we all knew he was.

"The way he has given his life to help others allows us to be enormously proud of him at a time of almost unbelievable sadness. We can never recover from his loss but we feel his sacrifice was made in the interests of others, which was so typical of him."

Mr Faust, part of the Red Watch at Whitechapel fire station, had been in the service for seven years.

London Fire Commissioner Ken Knight said being told of the deaths was one of the worst days of his career. Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to the men in the Commons last week.