Couple feared jumping to escape burning Perth flat as it 'caved in behind them'
A couple whose flat was destroyed in a fatal tenement fire in Perth said they considered "jumping out the building" to escape the blaze.Kieran Gibson and partner Ellen Fulton had not long moved in together when they lost nearly all their belongings in the incident at the block on the corner of Scott Street and South Street.Mr Gibson, 30, said he could hear the "sounds of the ceiling coming down" after they dialled 999 in the early hours of Saturday morning.A man died and several others, including an eight-year-old girl, were injured in the fire. Two firefighters, one of whom was struck by falling masonry, were given medical treatment.
Mr Gibson said he and Ms Fulton, 31, were woken shortly before 02:00 to the sound of their smoke alarm.The couple live on the third floor, one below the top which has been completely destroyed.
Mr Gibson said he opened the door to the tenement hallway, at which point smoke came billowing into the flat.He called the emergency services and said Ms Fulton was "screaming for help" out of the bedroom window.Fire crews arrived a short time later, but Mr Gibson admitted he was worried about being forced into a life or death choice.He said: "At one point, I was trying to work out whether it would be better to jump out the building and take our risk that way or get burned to death."If you're with your partner, your only thing is 'how do I get this person out safely?'"The whole time all we could hear was the sound of our ceilings and our roofs caving in behind us."He added: "We just didn't want to look back. The smell was just awful and the sounds were just horrific."
The couple were rescued from the flat about 25 minutes after making the initial emergency call.Mr Gibson said they were in the process of moving in together for the first time and were yet to take out contents insurance on their rented flat.He said the vast majority of their possessions had been lost, but they were unsure of the scale of the damage.He added they had only been able to leave with what they could gather from the bedroom and were now staying with family.About 40 other residents in the area were evacuated, with some staying at the nearby Salutation Hotel, which is being used a respite centre.Mr Gibson credited Tayside fire and rescue's blue response team for saving their lives and praised the call handler's response as "spectacular".
Police Scotland are investigating the incident.Drivers and pedestrians have been urged to stay away from the area, while a temporary airspace restriction has been put in place until 13:00 on Wednesday to prevent drones from flying overhead.Crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service worked through the night into Saturday morning to extinguish the flames.They left the scene early on Sunday afternoon but a team was scheduled to carry out a reinspection at about 17:00.Both Scott Street and South Street remain closed to traffic.
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