East Kilbride families left homeless after devastating blaze see homes go on fire again

Five furious East Kilbride families left homeless after a devastating blaze in October have relived that tragic day after their homes went on fire once again.

Seven months on since the distraught homeowners fled their blazing properties in Whitelee, on October 20, their homes caught fire for a second time on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 14.

Two fire engines raced to the scene, where there were no injuries, and left once the area was made safe.

Police enquiries remain ongoing.

John and Marion McCauley, Felix and Liz Shelvin, Alice and Patrick Feehan, Alex and Debbie Buchanan and Alex Ross were once again left to survey damage at their homes.

Donna Buchanan, daughter of Alex and Debbie, has been leading the fight, on behalf of the homeowners, for their homes that they all lived in for 40 years to be demolished.

They have been been pleading for help from South Lanarkshire Council - however the local authority are insisting that as matters stand they have no powers to intervene and force a demolition to take place at the private properties.

It is understood that one of the properties was not insured and the concerned daughter is asking what it will now take for action, and said: “The buildings were too dangerous to go into even for the fire crew this week.

“They were putting hoses through the window to put out the fire and using the high-top engine to get it from above.

“We are ready to demolish the houses and have funds in place. We have even offered to pay for the demolition of the uninsured house."

Donna’s parents saw their memories go up in flames, and she spoke to Lanarkshire Live about how this second blaze has brought back the tragic feelings from that first fire.

She continued: “My parents are devastated. This incident has brought back what happened in October all over again.

“It was difficult enough them having lost everything. For this to have happened again, it is emotionally devastating."

Her 62-year-old dad, Alex, added: “All of us neighbours have been living here for around 40 years and after the fire seven months ago, we are still in the same position where nothing has been done. Not a brick has been touched. We are in a sublet at the minute, but it is not home.”

Back in October, fire crews raced to the scene after the blaze tore through the six homes in less than an hour due to high winds.

John and Marion McCauley were given minutes to leave their home, and they said: "They told us that the roof was going to collapse.

“Our entire lives went up in smoke."

In the days that followed the horrific event, the council secured the area with a fence, but it has sat derelict ever since.

Donna said: “We are paying residents of SLC and they are supposed to assist us, but we are being put through even more hell.”

Affected Felix and Liz Shelvin are outraged over the whole situation.

Felix, 66, said: “We had one meeting a couple of months ago with a member from the Building Standards Team.

“I can’t even see us getting back in within the next year.”

Alice and Patrick Feehan, who moved into their home when it was first built, told Lanarkshire Live how they had lost all of their memories in the blaze.

Alice said: “There were 40 years' worth of memories in houses that we all brought our families up in that have just gone up in flames.

“I am 75 years old, so I am wondering if I’ll still be alive by the time my house is built and safe to live in again.”

Alex Ross, 75, spoke about how they believed they would have some progress by now, and continued: “We had a meeting with our insurers and a surveyor, but the council never bothered to turn up. They said that it would take 25 weeks to rebuild the houses with four months of planning permission.

"That has now been seven months and nothing has been done.”

Alongside the heartache of losing their homes, they have been told by neighbours that children have been rummaging through their lost homes.

Alex Buchanan added: “Neighbours have told us that they have seen kids playing in what is left of our houses.

“A roof or wall could fall any minute. Does it take a child getting killed before anything is done about our houses?”

Their local MSP, Colette Stevenson, met with South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan last month in an attempt to help the residents.

She said: “I had an informative meeting with Councillor Joe Fagan, Leader of South Lanarkshire Council and raised some issues highlighted to me from those affected by the fire at Whitelee.

“I understand the council can only serve a demolition order if there is an immediate risk to health and safety, or if there is no effective remedy for either reinstatement of the structural integrity of the buildings, or their demolition. I was told there are ongoing discussions with legal representatives, which is why that process has to take its course. It’s clearly a very trying, difficult time for all involved.

“I made clear some residents had concerns over the safety of the site and I was pleased to hear this will be looked into. The last thing anyone would like to see is someone being seriously injured.

“It has been months since the fire and whilst it may be difficult to put a time on when things may get moving, it is imperative that all residents, insurance representatives and council officers continue discussions and find a resolution to the issues at hand. I want to see a swift resolution to this and will do what I can to assist."

South Lanarkshire Council are insisting that as matters stand the council has no powers to intervene and force a demolition to take place.

Fraser Carlin, the council’s Head of Planning and Regulatory Services, said: “While we have every sympathy with the owners of these private properties and have assisted them where we can, we have been absolutely clear with them throughout this process about what are their own responsibilities and the limits to our own duties.

“Following the fire on October 20, the council took immediate action under Section 29 of the Building (Scotland) Acts in respect of the potential risk to public safety, by erecting fencing around the affected properties.

“However, the ownership and maintenance of the site and the security of the fencing sits with the owners. This includes the responsibility to prevent these buildings falling into a dangerous condition, and liability for anything that occurs there. To be absolutely clear: as matters stand the council has no powers to intervene and force a demolition to take place.

“As this is not one of the council’s responsibilities as part of the work it does for the whole of South Lanarkshire, and which is part-funded by all our Council Tax payers, we, therefore, continue to urge the owners of these private properties to work with their advisers and insurance companies to resolve these matters.”

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