Firefighters rescue OAPs from flat blaze

Jul 31 2008 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

Firefighters rescue OAPs from flat blaze

AN elderly man and woman were last week rescued from a blaze in their home.

A fire broke out at around 3.47am on Friday, July 25, at a flat in Milton Street, Motherwell.

Firefighters tackled the blaze in the kitchen of the first-floor apartment.

Four firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus and carrying hosereel jets entered the four-in-a-block building to extinguish the blaze.

They also carried out a search to see if there was anyone still inside the property. The firefighters found two pensioners, a woman – who was unconscious – and a man.

They were both given first aid by firefighters and paramedics at the scene and were taken to Wishaw General Hospital for further treatment.

A spokesperson for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said: “In this particular incident the fire was located in the kitchen of the flat. The kitchen door had been closed over.

“This resulted in a vast majority of the fire damage being confined to the kitchen and, importantly, restricted the spread of fire, smoke and hot fire gases throughout the rest of the property during the early stages of the fire development.

“The action of the occupiers in ensuring the door was closed prior to retiring to bed for the evening may well on this occasion have saved their lives.”

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue are inviting residents to contact them for advice and guidance in relation to ‘bed time routines’ or ‘making a fireplan’.

For further information, contact Strathclyde Fire and Rescue on 0800 0731 999.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s fire investigation team are currently conducting a joint investigation with the police into the cause of the incident.