The man who was first to arrive on the scene after last night’s explosion in Alloa has described hearing shouts for help from inside the building.
Garry Singh had been working in his nearby restaurant, Alba, when he heard a huge bang, and felt the building shake. He spotted the Kellie Place building, not yet visibly on fire, but missing parts of the roof – and left to attempt to evacuate nearby buildings.
“I was working – it was a busy Sunday night – and I heard a bang and saw something in the corner of my eye,” said Garry. My initial thought was that a car had crashed into the side of the building, because the explosion actually made the building shake.
“I ran outside, and when I saw there was nobody outside, I looked straight ahead and that’s when I saw the explosion. There were no visible flames at this point, but we’d heard the bang and the whole roof was missing.
“My first initial reaction was that I knew one of our ex-employees stays in one of those flats, and he has two young children. Me and a gentleman who was dining with us went to the flats next to where the incident happened to get everyone out.
“Everyone that was within those buildings was out – luckily, with every door we chapped, people had already left. It took a while for the flames to emerge from the building, but the first responders were quick to the scene.
“We could hear people shouting help from within the building, but at that point, we had to let emergency services do their job. There were a few people trapped at the back of the house, but the firefighters got a ladder round and were able to rescue people.
“There were people crying – it was very emotional. One wee girl was in tears, and lots of people were shocked. I don’t think anybody would have expected something like this to happen.”
Emergency services arrived on the scene within minutes, with evacuees set up with temporary accommodation in the town hall. Garry says his restaurant will also be open to assist anyone affected with food, drink, or a place to talk.
Garry said: “People have been residing in the town hall, and people there are more than welcome to come to our restaurant if they want something to eat or drink, or even just somewhere to sit.
“It’s important to be a part of the community when something like this happens, and we want to help as many people as we can.”
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