A Rosyth mum has told of the moment her son ran through smoke after becoming trapped during a house fire.
Debbie Dow’s family have been left with nothing after a fire ripped through their home just two days before Christmas.
The mum-of-four had been travelling home from the shops with her two daughters-in-law when her son, Kieran, phoned frantically to say the house was on fire.
At the time of the blaze, Debbie’s two grandkids – including eight-month-old baby Blaine and nine-year-old Skye – had been in the house with Debbie’s three sons, Kieran, Cain and Robbie.
Despite most of the family making it out safely, Cain, 22, became trapped upstairs after the fire broke out.
Debbie said: “Cain was working from home and didn’t know what was going on.
“He had a headset on so he didn’t really hear anything and just thought somebody was making toast and that’s why the fire alarm was going off.
“He was just oblivious while the rest of them were outside round the back.
“(Once he realised) he started banging on the window – he couldn’t get out.
“My ex-partner, Scott, had come along after hearing about the fire and told him to take a deep breath and run down the stairs as fast as he could.”
Son was ‘black’ with smoke
“When he came out he looked like he’d just been down the mines, just pure black.”
Debbie said Cain has been left “traumatised” by the fire and is still experiencing some health implications as a result.
She said: “He had to get oxygen from the paramedics and even now he’s still suffering.
“He ended up going to hospital a couple days after the fire and I think there’s a wee bit of lung damage so he had to get steroids.
“Cain’s young and healthy – he’s the fittest person I know and hearing him out of breath talking to me on the phone, it’s just a shame but he’ll get there.
“Other than that everyone else is fine but the whole of the top floor of the house is gone.”
When Debbie had arrived at the house, there were already two fire engines attempting to extinguish the blaze.
She said: “I was just dreading turning the corner, thinking about what I was going to see.
“I couldn’t get to see anybody for a while because it wasn’t safe.
“When I finally got to see my family, I was just so relieved.
‘We couldn’t stop crying’
“We couldn’t stop crying, everybody was upset but everybody was fine and I just felt relief that everybody was out of the house safe.
“You can replace your furniture but not people’s lives.”
Debbie said the fire had been caused due to a lit candle near a TV upstairs that set the TV alight.
The family are now staying with a friend but say they will be forced to pay for another private rental home for the time being.
“Everything has just been horrific,” Debbie said.
“Every time I go back to the house, it’s just horrible.
“Just going in there and seeing Cain’s handprints going along the wall when he was trying to feel his way to get out is horrendous.
“I’ve had breast cancer and I’d rather have to go through all that again 10 times a day than go through watching what it’s (the fire) done to me, my kids and my grandkids.”
Family thank community after £4k raised
A fundraiser launched shortly after the fire has since raised almost £4,000 to help the family get back on their feet.
Debbie said: “I just can’t believe it and it’s going to help us a lot – from the bottom of my heart, I’m just so so thankful and grateful.
“We’re having to get money together ourselves and pay for housing.
“I just thought I’d figure it out by myself but I didn’t even have house insurance so to have that is just a god send.”
