A Scottish man has been left devastated after losing everything in a flat fire for the second time in two years.
Stephen Harris says that the majority of his possessions have been ruined following the blaze on November 29 and blames the local council after reporting an electrical fault to them five times before the incident.
The 36-year-old was fortunately out at the time of the fire but returned to his home in Dunfermline to discover smoke pouring out of a bedroom socket with no sound from the alarm, reports the Record.
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Stephen has now been waiting over two months for the smoke damage to be cleared so he can assess the extent of the damage and hopefully move back in with his two dogs Willow and Buddy.
Speaking to the Record, he said: "I had been out all day and when I got back the whole house was covered in smoke and there was no fire alarm going off.
"When I turned on the light switch the fire alarm started to go off and my downstairs neighbour phoned the fire brigade.
"There was smoke coming out of the plug socket in my bedroom and there was plastic next to it that caught fire and then spread to a bin.
"If the smoke alarm had been working then the damage wouldn't have been as bad as my neighbour would have phoned the fire brigade earlier."
Stephen claims that prior to the devastating blaze, he informed Fife Council of an issue with the electrical system in his flat after several blown fuses and a socket behind his washing machine went on fire.
Despite two local electricians assessing the issue, Stephen believes the fault was not fixed properly and directly led to the recent fire.
He added: "I kept complaining about dodgy electrics last year, I phoned around five times to report it.
"During the first fire two years ago I lost absolutely everything and now I've lost pretty much everything again because of the smoke damage."
Scottish Fire and Rescue paperwork received by Stephen shows electricity listed in the hazard section, with the control measure section stating it is from the socket and isolated. The form also says the owner must send an electrician in for repairs.
Fife Council's housing manager for Dunfermline, Lynne Johnston, said work to clean smoke damage to the property should be finished by the end of this week.
She said: "Unfortunately there was a fire in the property before Christmas which resulted in some smoke damage.
"We will liaise with SFRS regarding the cause of the fire and will be meeting the tenant this week when we check the property is suitable to move back in."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 4.51pm on Tuesday, 29 November 2022 to reports of a fire at Inchkeith Drive, Dunfermline.
"Operations Control mobilised three appliances to the scene where a fire was affecting a residential property.
"Firefighters extinguished the fire and left after ensuring the area was made safe. There were no reported casualties."
Stephen is now fundraising to help refurnish and decorate his home when he can move back into the property. Donations can be made on GoFundMe.
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