Awoman has hailed her hero neighbour who managed to drag her out of her home after it went up in flames. Tricia Hayes was sleeping on Saturday, November 23, when her two-storey house in Tranent went on fire.
Luckily a neighbour who lives across the street on Windygoul Crescent saw the flames and ran to help. Wearing her pyjamas, dressing gown, and slippers, the woman burst into Tricia’s home and hauled her out of bed.
As the Swedish-style house is built from wood, the blaze quickly tore through the property as Tricia and her rescuer scrambled outside. The flames had spread to the roof and engulfed the building before the fire service arrived.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live a week on from the horror blaze, Tricia said: “The neighbour got me out well before the fire got near me but she saved my life as smoke can sometimes get you before the fire.
“She came running over in her pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers and nearly broke her neck on my doorstep after falling over. She was screaming ‘come out, come out’ and I had no idea what was happening.
“I ran across the green in my pyjamas in the snow with my house burning down behind me thinking what kind of nightmare is this. The woman saw the fire as it started near my fridge freezer and as it’s a cul-de-sac people next to me didn’t see it but she did from across the green and didn’t hesitate before sprinting over.
“These are Swedish wooden houses so they have cavities through them. There’s a family next door and the woman is pregnant so thankfully it didn’t spread to them.”
According to Tricia, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been unable to determine the exact cause of the fire due to the nature of how it spread so ferociously in a small space of time, but she says it started near her second-hand fridge freezer.
Tricia added how the appliance had a “flickering bulb” which was mentioned by the previous owner but she assumed it was just loose. She said: “Now this has happened I’m thinking what if I just checked the plug. It was like a miracle as all my furniture was saved.”
“When I walked in [later] everything was a pile of debris but the only piece of ceiling remaining was above the cabinet and there was just a trickle of water through it. My sofas are drenched and ruined but everything in my bedroom was unscathed.”
Tricia suffered another blow when she realised she was without home insurance, despite being under the impression she renewed her policy, and is now staying with friends. Despite the incident taking place just before Christmas, Tricia remains upbeat and has hailed her neighbours and the local community for saving her life and providing food and comfort after the devastating fire.
Tricia says one thing which put a smile on her face was the response from neighbours after the devastating blaze as several people offered to take her in and others came round with food. Tricia’s daughter Stacey is helping to set up a fundraiser to help her rebuild her home.
Tricia added: “I’m staying with friends and others have offered to help and give me furniture and an old kitchen but the crowdfunder is basically my only hope. I was trying to get the house ready to have lodgers so had work done and decorated before this happened.
“An architect came over and said we can make part of the house habitable and make it waterproof. A friend of my daughter’s has also offered me their old kitchen as they’re getting a new one so I have a rough plan and can do some work myself.
“While we were outside looking at the fire another man ran in obviously under the impression I was still in there, I don’t even know who it was but there were heroes everywhere and I’m so thankful.”
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