Fire crews ignored oxygen alarm to clear tenement
Derek Alexander Brave firefighters had to be rescued from a burning building by their colleagues after ignoring safety alarms to find blaze victims.
The stricken search team had just seconds left in their oxygen supply when they were pulled to safety from the top floor of the tenement block.
The dramat ic incident happened last Sunday as an inferno ripped through flats in Glasgow’s Pollokshields area.
More than 60 firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were called to the blaze, which started inside a shop on the ground floor.
Four crew members got trapped on the third floor of the building on Albert Drive when they failed to heed a 10-minute warning on their breathing gear.
It is understood safety protocols rule they should leave a scene when it sounds.
However, witnesses say that the high volume of people who needed evacuated from the building led to chaotic scenes. This left the crew needing to be rescued by colleagues using a ladder with just three minutes of air left in their tanks.
They faced suffocating or death from smoke inhalation until a member of the public noticed an SOS signal from a torch inside a flat.
Just one person was taken to hospital suffering from breathing difficulties after the fire.
A source said: “It was a miracle no one died in the fire. No one had any idea how many people were inside and this team ignored the alert on their apparatus to make sure no one was trapped.
“They ended up trapped and were only three minutes from running out of oxygen.
“They were emotional when they were brought down to safety. No one could blame them.”
The fire broke out in the Strawberry and Spice Garden grocery shop at 11.30pm on Sunday and engul fed the building. It collapsed at 5.40am the following morning.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is the MSP for the area, visited the af termath and described the fire as a “dark day for Pollokshields”.
SFRS deputy assistant chief officer James McNeil, said: “The wel fare and safety of our firefighters is paramount.
“When an exit route was compromised, crews put their expert training into practice and our robust and well-rehearsed procedures for such a situation were immediately enacted.
“The team was withdrawn f rom a window and no firefighters were injured.”
Sturgeon said: “The immense courage and professionalism of f ire f ighters undoubtedly prevented loss of life and serious injury in this incident – and I know the entire community of Pol lokshields is extremely grateful to the firefighters who so selflessly went to the aid of those in need last Sunday night.
“We are fortunate in Scotland to be protected by emergency service workers whose tireless commitment to the public should always be acknowledged and never taken for granted.”
Community safety Minister Ash Denham added: “Once again, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our fire crews for the bravery and professionalism they showed during dangerous circumstances.”