A family has been left with nothing after a blaze ripped through their flat and killed their beloved pets.
A neighbour told how a man tried to rush into his flat to save his dog from a fire but was stopped by firefighters due to the intensity of the blaze.
Three animals were killed and the family with no house insurance said they have lost "everything".
Fire crews raced to the Grangemouth flat at around 12.25pm last Tuesday, but the ferocity of flames meant that they couldn't save a dog and a cat inside.
A neighbour Toni Coates, also lost her cat from smoke inhalation, reported the Daily Record.
The flat belonged to Dawid and Magda Slomczynski, together with their son Artur, 12, while neighbour Ms Coates, 33, has told how she saw the blaze catch hold.
She said: "I saw smoke coming from our building and realised it was coming from the bottom flat.
"There was a man on the phone to the fire brigade, he was trying all the buzzers.
Toni, who initially thought it was a "small fire", raced inside to shut her flat windows and bang on doors to alert her neighbours but the inferno quickly took hold.
"As soon as the fire brigade put Dawid and Magda's door in, the close just filled with thick smoke," she said.
"The windows had gone out at the back with the fire and all the flames were going up the back of the building."
Toni then saw another neighbour run in to rescue her own cat from a flat and became stuck until fire fighters put out the flames and fortunately no people were injured.
But the Slomczynski family's cat Rambo and dog Kaya perished in the fire, despite firefighters' efforts to save them.
"Dawid had only been out about 15 minutes shopping and their son was at school," said Toni.
"He turned up about the same time as the fire brigade and tried to run in because of his dog. He was just shouting 'my dog is in there, my dog'. The firefighters had to stop him.
"His wife turned up after and was hysterical about the cat. The firefighters brought both the animals out and they were limp.
"They took the dog straight out to the back and I believe they were trying to do CPR and they tried giving the cat oxygen. But it was unsuccessful and they lost both their animals. It's heartbreaking, their pets were part of their family."
Toni is also devastated after one of her own cats, Lilly, died inside her flat due to suspected smoke inhalation.
The mum-of-three's home has been left badly damaged by the smoke, with thick layers of black soot covering carpets and surfaces.
But she is also determined to help her neighbours, who have no contents insurance and she has launched a fundraiser to get them back on their feet.
The community has come together with Grangemouth store Second Chance ready to furnish the family's home, and local shop Housecall Carpets has said they will provide flooring.
"The money we raise in the fundraiser will help them pay for clothes and all that kind of stuff. You build your life over years and they've lost everything in an instant, it's soul-destroying," said Toni.
"The thought of having to start from scratch is so daunting. We know how devastating a fire can be, it was so raw for us, so we just want to do what we can to help."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 12.25pm on Tuesday, January 18 to reports of a dwelling fire at Oxgang Road, Grangemouth.
“Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances and firefighters extinguished a fire affecting a property. No people were injured but one cat and one dog sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 12.55 pm on Tuesday, 18 January, 2022, police were called to a report of a fire at a ground floor flat in Oxgang Road, Grangemouth. No one was injured. No suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire."
