A family who lost everything in a devastating house fire in Fife have praised neighbours for “saving their lives”.
Quick thinking residents raised the alarm before attempting to tackle the blaze, which swept through the roof of a house in Kirkland Gardens in Ballingry on Thursday evening.
Owners unaware house was on fire
The property has been left badly damaged but it’s still unclear how it started.
The owners, who have asked not to be named, were unaware that their home was on fire when a neighbour burst into their living room shouting for them to escape the burning property.
With flames quickly engulfing the entire roof, residents rushed to help while others tried to fight it with a garden hose.
Despite the intense heat, several locals found a ladder to climb scaffolding at the rear of the property in a bid to douse the flames.
However, with the roof fully alight they were beaten back by searing temperatures.
Anne Gibson and her partner, John Robertson, were the first to spot the fire.
Neighbours raised the alarm
“I was washing the dishes in the kitchen shortly after 5pm when I spotted flames along the bottom of the roof on the house opposite,” Anne told The Courier.
“Within seconds they spread to the middle of the roof and just minutes later the entire top of the house was on fire.
“It was frightening to see how quickly the fire spread, it was really shocking.”
Spotting the danger, John ran into the house to warn those inside to get out before he attempted to fight the fire.
As word of the emergency spread, others joined the frantic attempts to put the fire out.
“Workmen had been at the house all day building a new roof and the tiles had not yet been put on,” said Anne.
Neighbours pulled pets from inside
“It was so quick how the flames ripped through the roof materials.
“Several people joined John — using a ladder and scaffolding to try and get up to the fire — but they only had a garden hose and it just wasn’t enough.
“John said later that the heat coming off the roof was unbearable.
“Eventually they had to give up and climb down for their own safety.
“While they were trying to fight the fire at the rear of the house, several neighbours also went entered the property to save family pets that were still inside.
“It was shocking to see how quickly the fire spread and within minutes what was left of the roof just collapsed into the upstairs of the house.”
Roof collapsed into the house
The owners of the house have praised the Ballingry community for coming to their aid as the emergency unfolded.
“We can’t even begin to thank people who came to help,” said a family member.
- The fire tore through the roof. Photo credit. Rosie Pollard.
“It was the quick thinking actions of residents who came to our aid that saved our lives.
“They did all they could to try and fight the fire and help get people to safety as well as raise the alarm and that’s the mark of a real community.
“People are safe but everything has been ruined.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said they received the alarm at 5.25pm of a house on fire in Kirkland Gardens.
“We had three appliances and one height appliance on the scene” they added.
The crews fought for more than three hour to bring the fire under control before leaving the scene at 8.30pm.