A young Dundee family are said to be staying with relatives after fire gutted their Douglas home at the weekend.
George Bruce (25), Johann Maclean (26) and their two-year-old daughter Olivia could only look on as fire tore through the roof of their house in Balunie Street in Douglas on Sunday night.
Four appliances from Tayside Fire and Rescue Service were required to bring the blaze under control, which was reported shortly before 9.30pm.
Although the incident was brought under control within an hour, the top floor of the property has been destroyed.
A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said the family are now staying with relatives.
”It was very frightening,” she said. ”All of the neighbours were watching what was going on. I feel really sorry for them as they seem a nice young family.”
Sadie West (68), another neighbour, spoke of her horror after being advised to evacuate her house in case the fire spread to adjacent properties.
”Someone came banging on the door telling us to get out,” she said. ”The whole roof just caved in it must have been awful for them. We weren’t allowed back into our house until midnight to be on the safe side.”
The nature of the fire tested emergency crews to the limit as the blaze threatened to bring down parts of the property.
Describing the situation, Stuart Cuthill, watch manager with Tayside Fire and Rescue Service, said: ”There was a very good chance the floors could have collapsed. It was hazardous working that close to the fire.
”It was a severe blaze, but luckily the people had already escaped from the house. We had to evacuate the adjoining properties as it was a terraced building.”
An investigation into the fire is under way.