A YOUNG Ayr family who barricaded themselves in a bedroom as a deliberate fire blocked the way out of their council flat have been left ‘petrified’ as they plea for a move out.
Michaela Black, 24, was woken up in the early hours of the morning with her neighbour’s fire alarm going off as smoke poured in the close at their flat on Main Road in Whitletts on Sunday, December 21.
Both the mum and her partner William Henry, 29, feared for their two-year-old son Ryan as a blaze took grip of storage cupboards outside.
Panicking as they called 999, the family were told to lock themselves in their back bedroom as thick black smoke had blocked the exits.
Michaela told the Advertiser: “I woke up and could hear our neighbour’s fire alarm going off.
“I could smell burning and smoke. I jumped up and said to my partner there was a fire. The hall was filling up with smoke.”
After their ordeal, they are desperate for a move out of the flat.
Michaela has told how strangers have been able to access the flats via the back door and in some cases have walked right into her flat looking for someone else.
Michaela told the Advertiser: “We are petrified staying here. The fire was the final nail in the coffin.
“We couldn’t get out because the smoke was that bad, we had to barricade ourselves in the back bedroom and block the door.
“It was horrible to be woken up to that. My hall was all black, the blinds on my bedroom windows are black.
“We were still coughing the next day and my son’s nose was full of black soot.”
Another neighbour had to be checked over by paramedics at the scene due to a lung condition.
Michaela, who works in a nursing home, said: “We’ve stayed here for just over a year and we’ve had a lot of issues ever since we moved. The council don’t seem to be helping in any way.
“The doors need fixed but we have been told they can’t put secure doors in because some of the houses are private and they need to pay for it.
“We just want a move, we want away from here for my son’s sake.
“Someone is going to die before they do anything.”
A council spokesperson said: “The safety and welfare of our tenants is always our priority. Since being made aware of the fire we have spoken to the majority of the tenants and owners within the block and discussed their concerns.
“We have provided advice on the process of reporting any future instances of anti -social behaviour and provided housing options advice to residents where requested. A Repairs Officer visited the block, Tuesday, December 22 and has arranged for the identified repairs to be carried out as soon as possible and the close was cleaned.
“The controlled door entry system was replaced in 2018. However, given the severity of the concerns raised, we have requested that a survey is carried out to look at the further options that are available.
“These will then be considered and we will engage with the two owners in the block.”
Scottish Fire and Rescue say they sent two appliances to the scene and confirmed that a casualty was treated by paramedics.
Police are investigating the blaze which they believe to be wilful.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Enquiries are ongoing.”
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