Scots mum-of-four forced to flee horror blaze in pyjamas is left with nothing

A mum-of-four has been left with nothing after a horror blaze ripped through her top-floor flat.

Yvonne Brown, 38, feared she would die when flames burst through the floor of her 16-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

The fire started in her downstairs neighbour's flat on Brand Street, Glasgow, and left residents trapped in their properties on July 3.

Yvonne was forced to flee the blaze in her pyjamas and was taken to hospital for treatment.

She told the Record: "I thought I was going to die. I was terrified I would never see my kids again.

"The fire spread so quickly. The smoke and flames completely engulfed the close within minutes. Even the banister was scolding hot.

"I had to run down the stairs in my pyjamas into the smoke and hoped I made it out.

"I feel lucky to be alive. It was the scariest experience of my life."

The mum said she first noticed a burning smell in the hallway before spotting smoke pouring into her kitchen. Within minutes flames burst through the floorboards and took hold of her family home.

After a terrifying dash to escape, she told how she watched on in horror as her elderly neighbour and son screamed that they were trapped in their flat.

"I'll never forget when she shouted 'I can't get out, I'm stuck'," she said. "I fell to the floor and burst into tears. It was horrible."

Yvonne, who suffers from asthma and fibromyalgia, was checked over by medics for carbon monoxide poisoning and released hours later.

Glasgow Housing Association chiefs have moved Yvonne and her four children Brandon, 8, Lily, 10, Leon, 12 and Elaine 15, into a nearby hotel after their home was reduced to a shell.

The family-of-five lost everything in the blaze including Elaine's 16th birthday presents and the kids' school uniforms.

The heartbroken mum admitted the family are now relying on donations for clothing and essentials to get them by.

She continued: "It's a terrible feeling knowing your kids are not in their own clothes.

“We have been left with nothing. My daughter’s 16th birthday is on Thursday and all her presents are gone.

"They are due back at school next month but we have no uniforms.

"This has turned their lives upside down. It’s not fair on them, spending their summer in a hotel."

“I lost my mum when I was just five years old and the only thing I had of her were pictures."

The Record understands it is the second blaze in the same property after a fire took hold in April.

A third incident in May turned out to be a false alarm.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 10.39am on Wednesday, 3 July to reports of a dwelling fire in Brand Street in Glasgow.

“Firefighters extinguished a fire affecting a flat within a three-storey building.”

A Wheatley Homes Glasgow spokesperson said: "We’re aware of a couple of previous incidents including a small accidental fire and a false alarm.

“We spoke to the tenants each time to offer advice and support.

“We are doing all we can to support our tenant and we will discuss all options available to her.”

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