Published: Wednesday, 30th April, 2008 12:00
Mum was so lucky to escape from fire
By Nicola Findlay
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Elizabeth Davidson looks at the damage caused by the fire which started in the airing cupboard of her mum Helen's home.
AN ALVA pensioner was only minutes away from being trapped in the bath as fire raged in the upstairs of her home.
Helen Irvine (63) had been in the bathroom just 10 minutes before the blaze broke out in the airing cupboard of her Johnstone Street home last Tuesday morning.
Now she and her family are waiting to find out the cause the fire – with the electrics of their new bathroom, fitted last August under Clackmannanshire Council’s replacement programme, coming under scrutiny.
Helen had only just gone downstairs and was in the kitchen when she noticed a smell of burning.
From the stairs, she could see thick black smoke and fled to a neighbour’s house to raise the alarm.
The neighbour called the fire brigade and Helen’s daughter, Elizabeth, immediately raced round to her mother’s house, terrified by what she might find.
Elizabeth told the Advertiser, “I turned the corner into Johnstone Street and saw the smoke coming from the roof. My stomach was in my mouth – it was just horrible.
“My first reaction was ‘Is my mum in the house?’ I didn’t know where she was and it wasn’t until I got out my car that I was told she was in a neighbour’s house.”
Elizabeth said her mum had a lucky escape, and is convinced that Helen would have been trapped if the fire had broken out while she was still in the bathroom.
“My mum doesn’t keep too well and this has just been devastating for her,” Elizabeth went on. “The fire brigade didn’t let us in to see the damage until about lunchtime and I haven’t taken my mum back to the house as it would be too upsetting for her.
“One of the firemen told us that in all the years he had been in the service this was the hottest fire he ever had to attend.”
The fire quickly spread from the airing cupboard to the hallway and bathroom.
Central Scotland Fire and Rescue crews from Alloa and Tillicoultry attended the blaze, and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were sent in to tackle the flames.
Elizabeth’s brother, Blayne, lives in the house with his mum and was out at work in Livingston when he got a call on his mobile phone to say the house was on fire.
He told the Advertiser, “I work with Marshalls and the wife of one of the guys I was working with phoned him to find out my house number.
“When I told him, he said I’d better get home because my house was on fire.
“I headed back not knowing what was happening, not knowing how my mum was and what condition the house was in.
“I think I am still in shock to be honest. Everything I own was in my room which has been badly damaged by the smoke and the heat.
“However, the most important thing is that mum is safe. The rest is just bricks and mortar and I will just have to work away to replace anything I need as and when I can.
“At the end of the day we can’t replace our mum and all we care about is the fact she is safe.
“I am just glad she was downstairs and managed to get out the house in time. If she had still been upstairs when the fire started it could have been a very different story.”
In August last year, the council replaced the Irvine’s bathroom. Electrical fittings for the shower were installed in the airing cupboard.
Blayne and Elizabeth said they would have to wait for the official fire report to find out the exact cause of the blaze, but they did say that the trip switch in the fuse box had regularly gone off ever since the new bathroom was fitted.
It will be several months before Blayne and his mother will be able to move back into their house, which will have to be completely refurbished due to fire and smoke damage.
It is estimated that the cost of repairing the damage will be in excess of £10,000.
Helen is staying with Elizabeth while the house is being repaired, while Blayne has moved in with his girlfriend.
A council spokesperson added, “The council’s loss adjustor has been in the property and extensive work will have to be carried out. Because it is likely to cost over £10,000, the council will have to put the work out to tender, which could take some time.
“The council has been in close contact with the tenants to make sure they have accommodation with family or friends, or whether they would want us to find them temporary accommodation.
“There has been a report requested from the fire brigade.
“There are electric safety certificates from before and after the new bathroom was installed.”
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