Latest news with #tenementfire
BBC News
8 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Brave firefighters 'saved many lives' in Perth tenement blaze
The rapid response of "brave firefighters" saved many lives during a tenement blaze in Perth over the weekend, a council meeting has council leader Eric Drysdale said that the internal stairwell of the building on the corner of Scott Street and South Street had been destroyed during the fire, leaving no other means of escape for residents.A man died and two people - an eight-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man - were taken to hospital following the fire, which broke out at about 01:50 on Drysdale said the girl had sustained serious injuries in the blaze, but was now "on the road to recovery." Two firefighters, one of whom was struck by falling masonry, were given medical entire building will be demolished as a result of the blaze and 50 families have been affected. Cllr Drysdale told the meeting - convened to discuss financial aid for tenants and businesses - that the emergency services had responded "magnificently."He said: "On arrival, without hesitating, our brave firefighters proceeded towards what had already become an inferno and were able to rescue many residents from upper floor windows after the internal stairwell had already been destroyed by the fire leaving no other means of escape."The councillor said that it was "very clear" that the rapid response and evacuation tactics saved "many lives."Speaking about the residents, he said: "One minute most, if not all of them, were fast asleep in bed, the next they awoke in terror with flames and smoke in the stairway and entering their homes."Some in lower floors planned their escape by lowering bedsheets out of windows while others stood at windows shouting to be rescued. "All wearing nothing but their nightclothes, and all set to leave their homes and all their worldly possessions behind."The councillor also thanked the nearby Salutation Hotel for looking after the evacuated residents, and the kindness of the local community. Councillors were told that about 70 businesses had approached the local authority for help following the Scottish government has also pledged its and Kinross Council's chief financial officer Scott Walker said the authority is required to contribute the first £850,000 towards the significant costs associated with the incident response - largely the demolition of the unsafe will be asked on Wednesday to consider allocating financial support from the council budget to those most affected by the by Kathryn Anderson, Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Couple feared jumping to escape burning Perth flat as it 'caved in behind them'
A couple whose flat was destroyed in a fatal tenement fire in Perth said they considered "jumping out the building" to escape the Gibson and partner Ellen Fulton had not long moved in together when they lost nearly all their belongings in the incident at the block on the corner of Scott Street and South Gibson, 30, said he could hear the "sounds of the ceiling coming down" after they dialled 999 in the early hours of Saturday morning.A man died and several others, including an eight-year-old girl, were injured in the fire. Two firefighters, one of whom was struck by falling masonry, were given medical treatment. Mr Gibson said he and Ms Fulton, 31, were woken shortly before 02:00 to the sound of their smoke couple live on the third floor, one below the top which has been completely destroyed. Mr Gibson said he opened the door to the tenement hallway, at which point smoke came billowing into the called the emergency services and said Ms Fulton was "screaming for help" out of the bedroom crews arrived a short time later, but Mr Gibson admitted he was worried about being forced into a life or death said: "At one point, I was trying to work out whether it would be better to jump out the building and take our risk that way or get burned to death."If you're with your partner, your only thing is 'how do I get this person out safely?'"The whole time all we could hear was the sound of our ceilings and our roofs caving in behind us."He added: "We just didn't want to look back. The smell was just awful and the sounds were just horrific." The couple were rescued from the flat about 25 minutes after making the initial emergency Gibson said they were in the process of moving in together for the first time and were yet to take out contents insurance on their rented said the vast majority of their possessions had been lost, but they were unsure of the scale of the added they had only been able to leave with what they could gather from the bedroom and were now staying with 40 other residents in the area were evacuated, with some staying at the nearby Salutation Hotel, which is being used a respite Gibson credited Tayside fire and rescue's blue response team for saving their lives and praised the call handler's response as "spectacular". Police Scotland are investigating the and pedestrians have been urged to stay away from the area, while a temporary airspace restriction has been put in place until 13:00 on Wednesday to prevent drones from flying from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service worked through the night into Saturday morning to extinguish the left the scene early on Sunday afternoon but a team was scheduled to carry out a reinspection at about 17: Scott Street and South Street remain closed to traffic.
