A fire broke out on Friday afternoon in a quiet cul-de-sac in East Kilbride, causing damage to six adjoining homes but fortunately no injuries. The fire is believed to have started in one of the middle properties around 4 pm and quickly spread. While everyone escaped unscathed, they were nevertheless left “devastated” by the loss of their homes and belongings.
One resident, Jim Barr, who lives next door to the properties that were razed by the fire, has stated that the blaze could have easily spread to his house, which is only 6ft (1.8m) away. He said that his neighbor of 40 years had “lost everything,” including a lifetime of memories. The fire’s size and severity were such that fire crews were required to divert water from a local stream to tackle the flames.
Local resident Moira Douglas has lived in the area for 29 years and lamented the loss, stating that the close-knit community had been badly affected. Responding to concerns of a delayed response time, Ms. Douglas explained that the Clarkston fire station was farther away, making the journey for the fire crews slightly longer. With immediate help not always available, she called upon fire services around the country to ensure that response times are as quick as possible in order to “keep someone safe in their property.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reported that two appliances were mobilized to the Whitelee area, followed by two additional engines and a high reach appliance. While the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) claimed that Whitelee’s local fire station was empty when the fire broke out, Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stephen Wright emphasized that standard mobilization protocols had been followed, stating that the nearest available appliance would always be dispatched to an incident.
The incident in East Kilbride has raised concerns about the effects of fire service cuts, with the FBU citing increased response times around the country due to such cuts. With every second counting in a fire situation, Seona Hart from the FBU emphasized that crews need to arrive as quickly as possible to keep people and their properties safe
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