Published: Thursday, 21st February, 2008 09:30
Family tell of fire hell
By Rachel Lamb
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SMOKE DAMAGE: Mr Normand is his home
Pic by: Anndra Dubhacan
A family have told of their hell after their house was gutted by a mystery blaze.
Hugh and Carolyn Normand were in the garden of their Rhu home when they noticed smoke coming from the back of the property.
The couple watched in horror as the blaze quickly took hold. Fire crews from Helensburgh and Garelochhead rushed to the scene. Using specialist breathing equipment, they battled the flames for half an hour before bringing the fire under control.
Hugh said: “We’re still in shock. We had been out less than an hour when we suddenly saw smoke coming out of the house. We opened the back door and were met by a wall of smoke. We don’t know what went wrong. It’s a complete mystery.
“While we were watching the firemen putting out the flames, smoke was pouring out everywhere and we didn’t think there would be anything left.
“If we had been away for the day the house would have been totally destroyed. It was pretty close.
“We’re lucky it didn’t happen at night. It doesn’t bear thinking about. I don’t think we’d have made it out. There was so much thick smoke.”
The blaze, which is thought to have started in a storeroom, quickly spread to the neighbouring study which is now a blackened shell. Although the flames were contained at the back of the house, thick black smoke spread through every room, coating everything with a layer of soot.
Hugh said: “It is pretty shocking. The smoke damage is horrendous. The house is uninhabitable at the moment and it will be months before we are able to move back in. If the doors had been shut it wouldn’t have spread to the front of the house but you don’t think of closing the doors when you’re just outside.
“It will be a daunting task. I just don’t know where you would start, but it can be cleaned up although I think most of the upholstery is a write off. It has made us think a lot about what sort of fire alarms and fire prevention systems we will install when the house is restored.”
Fire crews are still investigating to determine the cause of the fire, which caught hold at around 1.40pm on Sunday.
Danny Downie, Group Commander of Helensburgh’s fire service, said: “Although the fire took hold at the back of the house there is extensive smoke damage to the rest of the property. It’s as bad as I have seen. They were only outside over the course of an hour, then opened the kitchen door and that was it.
“When the firefighters arrived it was pitch black in there because of the smoke. They couldn’t see a thing. The whole house was filled with choking black smoke.
“Thankfully, there was nobody inside. It shows you how quickly a fire can take hold and how much damage can be done in a relatively short time. We prevented the fire from spreading which is the main thing.”
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