A Scottish family have been "left with nothing" after a terrifying fire caused by a faulty cooker plug resulted in a huge blaze tearing through their home and destroying all their possessions.
Scott Wilson, from Fife, had popped out to his visit his gran with his partner Caitlin Medwik and daughter Kayleigh, when they received a call from a neighbour that smoke was pouring out of the property. Scott, a 23-year-old rope access technician, rushed back home as the family's two spaniel puppies were still inside the building. After heroically rescuing the dogs, Scott could do nothing but watch helplessly as his family home burnt down in front of him.
The Record report that despite the initial heartbreak, Scott and his family have been overwhelmed by the support of the local community in Rosyth. He said they have already been offered furniture and a fundraiser has been set up for locals to donate anything they can to help Scott and Caitlin get back on their feet.
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Since being launched by Lesley Simpson, Scott's sister, on Tuesday, August 16, it has already gained £500. Speaking to the Daily Record, Scott said: "All the clothes and all the toys are gone - there's nothing left at all. The clothes are that badly smoke-damaged that they're still stinking after going in a washing machine at a petrol station two or three times.
"We went out on Sunday evening to see my gran. Just before we got there my neighbour gave me a phone and said smoke was pouring out the windows and the dogs were barking. We came right back down the road and I went straight in the front door and got the dogs. The fire was taking hold - the flames were just ripping up the kitchen and going up the roof and up the stairs.
"Buster is only 14 weeks old and in a cage, I couldn't leave him there. I just took a big deep breath and went in. I know people say you it's just a dog and you can get another one but they're part of the family. If I hadn't gone in I would never have forgiven myself."
Three fire appliances raced to the scene to extinguish the blaze, but the damage was already done. Since Saturday, the family have been living at Scott's mum and dad's home, hunting desperately for another two-bedroom house that can accommodate them until the house is rebuilt.
Caitlin, 24, has taken time off of work to try to come to terms with the blaze. Thankfully, four-year-old Kayleigh was able to attend her first day of school on Wednesday. And while the family has struggled to find ready-furnished homes for let, the community has rallied round with offers of furniture like a sofa and a bed. Scott says the support of neighbours and even complete strangers has helped him keep his chin up in an otherwise dire situation.
His sister Lesley told the Record: "We're getting so much stuff dropped off to us for me to keep while they find somewhere to stay. It's been amazing."
Scott added: "We were never expecting to get help from people we don't know - even on the GoFundMe. There are about two or three people on the list of donors that I know and the rest are strangers, but that money will be enough to get started on figuring out what we need to buy - even a fiver, even a pound, it all helps.
"There's so much you take for granted that you don't realise you need - knives and forks, plates, not even luxuries like the telly, just the actual essentials. That's five years I've been in the house, my first house, and it's only now you think about all the decorating, plastering, the time and the memories of shopping with my partner and stuff. She can't believe it's all gone.
"My daughter is a wee bit upset that all her toys are gone but she's doing okay. One of my neighbours took her and the dogs in while the fire was being extinguished - there's a wee box of chocolates and a thank you card on the way to them.
"I'm trying to be positive for my partner and my kid and the family. It's tough but I just want everybody to feel like it's going to be alright."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service person said: "We were called to attend a domestic dwelling fire on Hamilton Place, Rosyth at 6pm on Sunday August 14. Three appliances attended from Dunfermline, Lochgelly and Burntisland."
The fundraiser in support of Scott's family can be found here.
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