A West Lothian mum says a terrifying blaze at her family home has brought back traumatic flashbacks of a horror fire when she was a teenager.
Aimee Robertson, 27, lives on Rowan Terrace in Blackburn, West Lothian, with husband James Hall, 32, and her three kids Miya, seven, Brooklyn, four, and Rhyley, three.
Aimee, who is seven months pregnant with her fourth child, told Edinburgh Live of her panic when the fire broke out in the block of flats on Saturday, January 22.
READ MORE - Dalkeith Country Park will host huge outdoor cinema with food and drink stalls
The full-time carer was at home with her family when the blaze erupted, with the family evacuated shortly after 9pm.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Aimee said: "I just froze in place when I realised what was happening. I was involved in a house fire when I was 13, that ended in us having to live elsewhere for a year as the damage was so bad.
"There was £90,000 worth of damages to my childhood home, so you can imagine how bad the fire was. I just thought 'Oh God, it's happening all over again'.
"Thankfully, we all got out safe and our home is more or less unharmed, but mentally, we are traumatised.
"The kids can't sleep and when they do, they wake up crying with nightmares of the fire.
"Myself and my husband James take it in turns to sleep a couple of hours a night so we are there for the kids, we are at our wits end here and I just feel so unsafe in my own home."
Aimee and husband James, who is also a carer, live on the bottom floor of the flats in Blackburn, are in contact with health professionals, but feel like they aren't getting any further down the line with West Lothian Council for a solution to their problems.
Aimee added: "We have been trying to leave this flat for over two years now, and the Council have been no help. I have been in contact with my housing officer daily, but heard next to nothing else from the Council on this specific matter.
"The kids haven't left the house since it happened, we are all living in fear for our lives, incase whoever done it comes back to terrorise us even further."
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “This is a very serious incident and our thoughts are with those affected.
"Council officers have been working to support local tenants and have contacted all those within the block of flats where the fire took place and continue to do so.
“Council Officers have spoken to the tenant in question and at that time no further advice or assistance was required or requested.
“We would completely refute any claims that the council had failed to keep up with repairs to the communal door.
“At the time of the incident, no issues had been reported to us regarding the communal door and there were no repair works outstanding.
“The last request for a repair to the communal door was made last July and was repaired within two days.
“We are unable to comment further on the incident as this is the subject of an ongoing police investigation.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Two children, aged 10 and 11, have been identified and spoken to by officers under the ACRA (Age of Criminal Responsibility) legislation following a fire at a property on Rowan Terrace in Blackburn which was reported around 5.40pm on Saturday, 22 January.
“The fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and a 40-year-old woman was assessed at the scene by the Scottish Ambulance Service.”
A huge emergency response had rushed to the scene on Rowan Terrace on Saturday (January 22) after flames ripped through the building, leaving it in ruins.
Starting to take hold at around 5.40pm, fellow resident to Aimee, Lee-Ann Davis had been at home in her top floor flat, when she began to see the fire coming through her air vent from below.
After trying to escape, the mum-of-four had found the exit blocked with items that appeared to have been deliberately set alight.
Although thankfully able to get out of the building unharmed, the 40-year-old has now been left homeless along with her 19-year-old son.
Now staying with family, the pair have been left with only the clothes on their back as enquiries continue into the fire.
