A Paisley community has been left shaken after a “nightmare, movie like” fire that destroyed a block of homes and killed a 38-year-old woman.
The woman, who has not been named, died following the terrifying blaze in a terrace block on Belmont Road in the Gallowhill area . Emergency services were called shortly before 10.45pm on Thursday April 13 after the fire took hold in an upstairs home.
Crews battled overnight to contain the flames after locals said the fire spread to the roof of the block and rapidly consumed the adjoined homes. One resident reported seeing flames erupt as the fire ate its way through gas boilers, which exploded under the pressure.
Louise Gemmell, who lives behind the fire-razed homes, told the Record she considered fleeing her own home after her young son was left terrified.
The 37-year-old mum of two said: “I heard a noise that I thought was coming from my son’s tablet. I went into his bedroom and then I looked out the window and saw flames coming out the window straight away.
“It was spreading really fast - from that room it went right up to the roof, and then straight over the rest of the block. The flames were coming out towards us, closer and closer.
“You could see blue flames as the fire went through the gas boilers. I said to my man, ‘do you think we’ll need to leave?’
“It was like a nightmare, like something out of a movie. It was really scary. One of my wee boys was so scared. It’s been a hard morning.
“You feel useless because you can’t do anything when it happens but wait for the fire brigade. They might have only taken ten minutes to get there but it felt like forever. That young lassie, it’s awful."
Another local resident, who asked not to be named, said: “My son phoned 999 - we were up the stairs at the back shouting at the neighbours to get out. We couldn’t see anything for the smoke.
“There were embers flying about and you could hear the crackling of the flames as they went through the roof. My sister could hear it from the Renfrew Road [half a mile away].
“I didn’t expect it to get so bad so quickly. It was still burning until about 7am and they were still spraying it until a little while ago.
“Those firefighters take some risks - I watched them have to pull a ladder back after the flames just started up again. They’re brave men and women.”
Fire crews battled the flames until sometime around 7am on Friday, after which they remained on scene for another three hours dampening down the smouldering remains of the block. The roof of the building has collapsed entirely, with remains of melted plastic guttering hanging from what was left of the homes.
Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze. Plain clothes officers were quizzing locals on their doorsteps on Friday morning, asking them if they had any CCTV of the fire taking hold.
Renfrewshire Council says it has arranged for residents of the affected flats to be placed in emergency accommodation, understood to be a local hotel.
The community of Gallowhill have since come together to support those affected by the fire. At the local Costcutter shop on Netherhill Road, locals have been dropping in donations of clothes and adding money to a collection bucket for a fund.
Store manager Kirsty Haughey believes hundreds of pounds have been donated by locals so far, along with several boxes of clothing. Buckets have also been set up at the nearby East End Tandoori and Paulo’s chippy, with floral tributes laid at the scene.
Kirsty said: “This is a small community and when something like this happens it comes together. What happened is devastating.
“Someone has lost their life and all of those houses have gone. To find yourself in the street in your nightie as your house burns…I haven’t got a lot but I appreciate what I have, especially now.
“As soon as it happened, I couldn’t sleep. I thought I would get a bucket set up and start collecting clothes.
“People are putting notes in, not just coins - the owner [of the shop] has put in £100. Sometimes, a community keeps to itself, but when something like this happens it makes you proud to live here.
“The community sticks together. I couldn’t say a bad word about it.”
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We were alerted to a fire on Belmont Road in the Gallowhill area of Paisley by emergency services last night. Police Scotland has confirmed a 38-year-old woman has died and our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends.
“We are supporting the emergency services who remain on scene and our housing teams are supporting anyone needing accommodation.”
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