A man had a lucky escape last night after a blaze broke out at his home in Stonehaven.
Four fire engines, two specialist units, an ambulance and police were called to the property in the town’s Redcloak Crescent at about 7pm.
A 20-year-old man, who was in the house at the time, managed to get out before the crews arrived.
Last night the firefighter leading the response to the incident said the fact the man made it out of the house uninjured was largely due to his working smoke alarm.
Neighbours reported hearing screaming and glass shattering before noticing thick billowing out of the house.
Flames could also be seen escaping through what it is believed to be the living room window.
A crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the drama unfold.
Lisa Rodger, who lives across the road, described the smoke pouring out of the building and seeing a distressed man outside.
She said: “My sister shouted out to me that there was a fire and this it was billowing with smoke.
“We saw a guy outside screaming and heard glass of the back windows shattering as a result.”
“Fire crews got there about 20 minutes later to deal with it.”
One man, who lives a few doors down, said: “It must have broken out about 7pm. I just turned around and thought to myself it was getting dark quick, but then realised it was the smoke in the back garden.
“The flames were coming out the living room of the house.
“The guy next door couldn’t get into his house.”
The crews from Stonehaven and Aberdeen used a jet, a hose reel jet and breathing apparatus to tackle the blames, which were extinguished by 8pm.
Speaking from the scene, incident commander Station Manager Gregor McPherson said: “We were alerted to a fire at a home by a domestic smoke alarm.
“The crew arrived to find a fully developed fire on the ground floor.
“One occupier had been in the home but had got themselves out by the time we arrived.
“After confirming there were no other people in the home we used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to bring the blaze under control.”
A spokesman for the ambulance service confirmed nobody required medical treatment.
A police spokesman said one local unit had attended, and officers had assisted the fire service.
