The family of a firefighter crushed by a wall during a blaze have described him as "a wonderful partner and fantastic father" as he remains in intensive care.

Andrew Adams, 49, sustained life-changing injuries when a wall collapsed during firefighting operations.

The father-of-two is currently being treated at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

He was seriously injured as he and his crew tackled the deliberate fire at a former Masonic club in Auchmead Road, Greenock in the early hours of Thursday, August 25.

Mr Adams, who is known to friends as "Andy", has a daughter, Hannah, 22, and son Darren, 13, with partner of 25 years, Clare Linning, who is a nurse.

Ms Linning said: "Andy is a wonderful partner and a fantastic father. He is not only a committed firefighter but a real community spirit who has enjoyed working with young people through his involvement in the Prince's Trust and a local cycling project.

"As a family, we are pulling together at this very difficult time with the help of each other, our friends and Andy's colleagues from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

"We have been overwhelmed with messages of support and we are taking great comfort from them.

"But the true extent of Andy's injuries are still uncertain and we would therefore ask that our privacy be respected at this time."

He joined the service in 1989 as a retained firefighter in Greenock and became a full-time firefighter in 1992 at Paisley before being promoted to a crew manager in 2001 and transferring to Ardrossan in Ayrshire.

He ultimately joined Greenock Community Fire Station as a watch manager where he is operational commander for Group 4.

Kevin Hughes, 50, is station manager at Greenock and has known Andrew for 23 years.

He said: "Andy is one of the most popular and respected figures within the service. He is not just a colleague but a genuine friend to many of us here.

"We are doing everything we can to support Clare, Hannah and Darren at this difficult time. We would also like to thank the community for their support and their kind messages."

Alex Clark, deputy chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Our firefighters are trained to the very highest standard and always work together as a team when responding to a range of different emergencies.

"When a firefighter is injured in the line of duty it therefore affects the entire Scottish Fire and Rescue Service family, and the injury of Andrew Adams has deeply resonated with us all.

"Clare, Hannah and Darren are uppermost in our minds and we are giving them the fullest support possible at this very difficult time."

He added: "We are working with Police Scotland to determine the cause of the fire which is currently being treated as suspicious.

"Until the full facts surrounding this incident are established - and in respect to our colleague and his family - it would be inappropriate to comment any further."