Fatal Accident Inquiry over Rosepark fire begins

Nov 19 2009 by Alastair McNeill, Hamilton Advertiser

THE Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of 14 residents in a fire at Uddingston’s Rosepark Care Home began this week.

The fire in January, 2004, which is thought to have begun in a linen cupboard, also injured four other people, while a further 22 had to be evacuated.

Photographs taken in the home after the fire, featuring smoke-blackened corridors, were shown to the inquiry, which is taking place at Motherwell’s Gospel Outreach Centre.

A total of 16 QCs, advocates and solicitors are taking part in the inquiry before Sheriff Principal Brian A Lockhart.

Crown evidence is being led by James Wolffe, QC, and Paul McBride, QC is representing the home’s former owners, Thomas, Anne and Alan Balmer.

The inquiry is expected to last between two and three months.

On Monday, relatives of the fire victims spoke about the high standard of care their loved ones received at Rosepark.

Jeanette Bulloch, daughter of Helen Crawford (85), said she moved her mother to the home after her mum’s dementia worsened.

She said: “There was a homely feel to Rosepark and my mother liked it. In the weeks up to her death, I had no complaints over my mother’s care there.”

The inquiry also heard that many residents preferred to sleep with their bedroom doors opened. Nurses would also ask for some doors to remain open so they could check on residents.

The decision to hold an FAI was made after the dismissal of the third attempt at criminal prosecution of the Balmers.

High Court judge Lord Matthews described the decision to indict the Balmers as the surviving partners of a dissolved company as “fatal” to the prosecution and “inept”.

The Crown Office has said that the inquiry will seek to ensure that those who lost loved ones in the fire can learn the full circumstances of the tragedy. It will also identify any steps that might prevent a similar occurrence and will further seek to establish whether there were any reasonable precautions that could have been taken to avoid the deaths and whether any defects in systems of working contributed.