Neighbours battled in vain to save woman as house fire raged

TRAGEDY: Saline grandmother pronounced dead at scene of blaze

Neighbours battled in vain to save a woman from a house fire in a Fife village.

The woman, named locally as Gail Mccaffrey, was pronounced dead at the scene after fire ripped through her twostorey home in Saline.

Floral tributes to the 55-year-old grandmother were laid across the pavement outside the house in Easter Craig Gardens over the weekend.

One simply read: “I love my granny”. Yesterday a police officer was standing guard outside the property, which was gutted in the blaze.

A local source said people living in the street had been devastated by the tragedy.

And he described how neighbours had fought to save Ms Mccaffrey’s life after the fire was discovered late on Friday night.

He said: “I know that neighbours are pretty upset about it. Obviously they raised the alarm and were there when it all took place.

“The neighbours did try to get them out and tackle the fire, but the fire was too bad for them.”

It is understood there may have been someone else in the house who escaped from the fire, however this has not been confirmed.

The source added: “All I can really say is that it’s a terrible tragedy and people are upset.

“My sympathies go out to the family.” When fire crews arrived at around 11pm the blaze had already taken hold.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were alerted at 10.42 on Friday August 24 to reports of a dwelling fire in Saline, Fife.

“Operations control mobilised three appliances to the two-storey property, which was well alight.”

It is understood the fire is not being treated as suspicious at this stage.

A police spokesman said: “An investigation into the cause of the fire has commenced and is at an early stage.”

Firefighters were still in attendance on Saturday, as the investigation into the cause of the fire got under way.

The property was cordoned off and guarded by police.

Relatives at the scene said they did not want to talk about the tragedy and asked for their privacy to be respected.

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The neighbours did try to get them out and tackle the fire, but the fire was too bad for them

Pictures: David Wardle. Police officers kept watch over the damaged property in Saline, where family and friends laid floral tributes to the 55-yearold woman who died.