A Forres woman has spoken of how she battled to save her home from ruin after her toaster caught fire.
Veronica Tomlins escaped uninjured after her kitchen burst into flames on Wednesday morning.
The pensioner had been preparing for gas engineers to arrive to fit a new boiler and pipes that day.
However, she was forced to flee her Califer Road home of more than 50 years after her toaster caught fire.
The blaze has caused significant damage to her kitchen and smoke damage to the rest of her house, resulting in the loss of sentimental items, including wedding presents that Veronica and her late husband, Robert, received.
Despite being unable to stay in her home, Veronica says she’s grateful to be alive.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, she said the pain of losing her home is nothing compared to the grief she has endured.
“The trauma of this is nothing compared to that of losing my parents and my husband,” she said.
“I can’t bring them back. At least the house can be fixed.
“It is a dreadful, dreadful accident that’s happened, and I have to face it. It was a pure and utter accident, and I take full responsibility.
“I’m so delighted I’m alive and not injured, and neither is anyone else. That’s the main issue.
“As the days go by, I get more and more upset.
“I have lived here all this time, and my husband was a fireman in the RAF. I think he would be disappointed that it has happened, but relieved no one got maimed or burned.
“I’m heartbroken. It’s taken the guts and fibre out of me, but life is for living.
“It’s soul-destroying. I’m not a spring chicken, I’m an old hen. I am down, but I am not out.”
Homeowner used a garden hose to try and save home
Firefighters and paramedics raced to the Moray town on Wednesday morning following concerning reports of a house fire.
Crews from Nairn and Forres wasted no time in extinguishing the flames as paramedics checked Veronica over.
The fire ignited just hours before gas engineers were due to arrive at her Forres home to begin works to fit a new boiler.
Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Veronica said: “I had been getting ready for the last six to seven weeks to get new gas pipes and a new boiler.
“Wednesday morning, they were due to come so I got up early, made a cup of tea and something to eat and went back up the stairs.
“I just got back into bed when I heard this crackling, then the fire alarm went off. Thank god for the fire alarm.
“I thought, ‘What the hell is that?” so I came down the stairs and there was a wee fire in the corner. I didn’t know how it had started, so I phoned the fire brigade, and then all of a sudden it just got worse.
“The three to four minutes standing there waiting for the fire brigade was horrendous; it felt like a lifetime to see my home of 56 years disintegrate in front of my eyes.
“I went out the back door and got the hose, but it was a total and utter waste of time.”
Neighbours evacuated amid Forres fire
Veronica’s neighbour, Linda, was letting her dog out when she noticed black smoke coming from the house.
Speaking to The P&J, she recalled within moments, the “whole kitchen was orange.”
She said, “I was letting the dog out, my normal morning routine, and I just saw all the smoke coming from the house. I came running over.
“The whole kitchen was orange by the time I came here, and black smoke was coming out of the house.
“I went and got the two neighbours up on either side because I didn’t know how far it was going to escalate. A lot happened in such a short space of time.”
The pair said they were grateful to the crews who attended the scene; in particular, two female paramedics from Nairn who went “the extra mile” to stay and ensure Veronica had a place to stay following the fire.
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