A ferocious blaze which has destroyed a home in Perth is the second major fire to hit the property, it can be revealed.
Emergency services rushed to the home on Crieff Road, Tulloch, on Friday night — just under 14 years after a similar terrifying incident.
The most recent blaze, which took hold at around 8pm, saw flames rage and cause major damage to the property.
An elderly man, who was the sole occupant, was rushed to hospital and is understood to be recovering well.
A fire also swept through the man’s house in April 2008, badly damaging the whole property and destroying the roof.
He was treated for smoke inhalation but unhurt on that occasion.
On Friday evening, the fire caused the roof to again collapse and most of items inside the house and in the back garden have also been severely charred. It is thought the resident had a dog which is still missing.
Fire crews worked through the night to extinguish the flames, leaving at 7.30am on Saturday morning.
They returned on at least two more occasions to check for hot spots, survey the home and further assess the condition of the building.
The fire also spread to the house next door and damaged the roof.
The adjacent property’s owners are currently staying with a kind-hearted neighbour.
The neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: “They can stay with me as long as they need to.
“We were worried about it spreading to our property too and that we’d need to evacuate but thankfully we were alright.
“It was a long night where a lot went on.
“The neighbours are staying with us at the moment, they’ve been through a lot.
“I think [the houses] will need knocked down, they suffered a lot of damage.”
The resident was given treatment at Ninewells Hospital and is believed to have evacuated the property shortly after the fire started.
Another fire 14 years ago
An edition of The Courier from April 21, 2008 gives details of the previous incident.
The fire took hold in the ground floor of the property at 4.20am resulting in it being effectively gutted and the roof of the house visible. Fire crews spent eight hours at the scene extinguishing the flames.
The report at the time stated the resident was treated for smoke inhalation but was otherwise OK.
A neighbour said in 2008 the incident was started by a coal fire while the cause of Friday’s blaze is not currently known.
A family member has confirmed to The Courier the same man, now in his late 70s, was living in the house during both fires but declined to comment further.
It’s understood he lived alone but has a daughter who lives locally.
They could not be reached for comment.
Frightening scene
Following Friday’s fire, neighbours have spoken of the frightening scene that unfolded.
Some were worried that the fire would also spread to their properties and they would need to be evacuated.
One said: “There were fire hoses everywhere trying to get water to put it out.
“It was terrifying and horrible to watch. You really feel for the person who lives there. he’s got a lot of stuff and has probably lost everything.”
Some local residents in the Tulloch area reported discolouration of water while firefighters utilised local sources to tackle the blaze.
