The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Brave rescuers save pair from house fire
Grandfather and granddaughter pulled to safety
A joiner and a window cleaner have told how they helped save the lives of a grandfather and granddaughter during a massive house fire in Dundee.
George Davie, 55 and neighbour Alex Chaplain, 50, used ladders to rescue the pair from the blaze on Melfort Place in Trottick yesterday morning.
Fire engines attended the scene after the blaze broke out at around 10.30am.
Crews battled for several hours but the house has been gutted.
Window cleaner George said he did not usually work on the homes in the cul-de-sac but was there by “pure fluke” helping his son because of the snow.
Joiner Alex had only come back
I was pleading with her to come down on the ladder but she was so scared. HEROIC JOINER ALEX CHAPLAIN
briefly from a job in Fintry to his home nearby when he spotted the smoke and ran into the burning house.
“I came back to get a saw blade and just as I was getting back in my car, something caught my eye,” he said.
“I saw smoke coming out of the window of the home so I ran over.
“I went inside but the electrics were completely ablaze and there was smoke everywhere.
“I panicked when I realised the lassie was still upstairs so I grabbed a ladder from the window cleaner a few houses down, who carried over another one.
“I was pleading with her to come down on the ladder but she was so scared.
“Eventually she let me help her. There’s no doubt she’d have died if she’d stayed in that house.”
Mr Davie added: “He didn’t want to come out because he was more concerned about his granddaughter and she didn’t want to come out because she was concerned about him.”