West Lothian couple had to 'hang out window and scream' as fire ripped through building
A West Lothian woman has told of the horrifying moment her and her partner were trapped inside their flat after a fire broke out in the hallway of their building.
Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night.
The terrifying ordeal took place in the early hours of July 8 when the landing outside Courtney's flat on Church Place in Fauldhouse burst into flames.
Courtney was outside for a smoke around 12am while Yazmin was sleeping inside their flat. When Courtney re-entered the building, she encountered a fire inside the stairwell.
She told Edinburgh Live: 'To this day, I still cant sleep properly. This is the first time it's ever happened.'
Courtney ran back into her flat to awake Yazmin and grab her phone to call 999. However, the couple discovered the blaze was too large and hot for them to escape through the stairwell.
Courtney added: 'I thought I was going to die. I called 999. They told us to go into living room and close the door. They told us to hang out the window to get fresh air and to put towels in front of door to prevent smoke getting in.
'We were screaming. We felt like we were going to die.'
A spokesperson from Places for People, the housing association for Courtney's building, said they understood 'how worrying a fire in the building must have been for customers' and they 'checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe'.
Courtney says the landing retained smoke and fire damage following the blaze, and her asthma has been more severe in the days following the fire.
She added: 'I'm already asthmatic and having to walk through the soot and stuff has affected my lungs, causing me to have asthma attacks.'
Places for People said: 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks.'
A Places for People Scotland spokesperson said: 'We understand how worrying a fire in the building must have been for Customers and we checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe.
'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. This involved us speaking to Customers about any damage in their flats and we also had all common areas, including the hallways, cleared and cleaned to prevent soot contamination.
'There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks. This will also include any cleaning or works required in individual flats, although one Customer is refusing entry to do this.
'We can assure customers that we are working as quickly as possible to arrange for all works to be completed and we have been keeping them updated regularly.
'Our number one concern is the welfare of Customers, and we urge everyone to adhere to the fire safety guidance in place so any further incidents can be prevented.'
A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'We attended an incident at 37 D Church Place in Fauldhouse after receiving a call at 12.01am on July 8. We mobilized three appliances to a small fire on the landing of the property in a residential building.
'There were three casualties, all of which were treated by SAS at the scene and released. The last appliance left at 1.38am.'
A spokesperson from the Scottish Ambulance Service said: 'We received a call on July 8 to attend an incident on Church Place. We dispatched one ambulance and our special operations team to the scene. No patients required transport to hospital.'
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 12.25am on Tuesday, 8 July, 2025, officers attended a report of a fire within a common area of a block of flats on Church Place, Fauldhouse.
'Enquiries were carried out and have concluded, no further police action will be taken.
'Anyone with any further information is asked to contact 101.'
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Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night. A West Lothian woman has told of the horrifying moment her and her partner were trapped inside their flat after a fire broke out in the hallway of their building. Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night. The terrifying ordeal took place in the early hours of July 8 when the landing outside Courtney's flat on Church Place in Fauldhouse burst into flames. Courtney was outside for a smoke around 12am while Yazmin was sleeping inside their flat. When Courtney re-entered the building, she encountered a fire inside the stairwell. She told Edinburgh Live: 'To this day, I still cant sleep properly. This is the first time it's ever happened.' Courtney ran back into her flat to awake Yazmin and grab her phone to call 999. However, the couple discovered the blaze was too large and hot for them to escape through the stairwell. Courtney added: 'I thought I was going to die. I called 999. They told us to go into living room and close the door. They told us to hang out the window to get fresh air and to put towels in front of door to prevent smoke getting in. 'We were screaming. We felt like we were going to die.' A spokesperson from Places for People, the housing association for Courtney's building, said they understood 'how worrying a fire in the building must have been for customers' and they 'checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe'. Courtney says the landing retained smoke and fire damage following the blaze, and her asthma has been more severe in the days following the fire. She added: 'I'm already asthmatic and having to walk through the soot and stuff has affected my lungs, causing me to have asthma attacks.' Places for People said: 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks.' A Places for People Scotland spokesperson said: 'We understand how worrying a fire in the building must have been for Customers and we checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe. 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. This involved us speaking to Customers about any damage in their flats and we also had all common areas, including the hallways, cleared and cleaned to prevent soot contamination. 'There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks. This will also include any cleaning or works required in individual flats, although one Customer is refusing entry to do this. 'We can assure customers that we are working as quickly as possible to arrange for all works to be completed and we have been keeping them updated regularly. 'Our number one concern is the welfare of Customers, and we urge everyone to adhere to the fire safety guidance in place so any further incidents can be prevented.' A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'We attended an incident at 37 D Church Place in Fauldhouse after receiving a call at 12.01am on July 8. We mobilized three appliances to a small fire on the landing of the property in a residential building. 'There were three casualties, all of which were treated by SAS at the scene and released. The last appliance left at 1.38am.' A spokesperson from the Scottish Ambulance Service said: 'We received a call on July 8 to attend an incident on Church Place. We dispatched one ambulance and our special operations team to the scene. No patients required transport to hospital.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 12.25am on Tuesday, 8 July, 2025, officers attended a report of a fire within a common area of a block of flats on Church Place, Fauldhouse. 'Enquiries were carried out and have concluded, no further police action will be taken. 'Anyone with any further information is asked to contact 101.'
