A hero Scots dad who saved his entire family from a raging inferno has been left partially blind after shards of glass flew into his eyes.
Colin Walker leapt from the window of the top floor flat as the fire took hold of the family home in McNeill Terrace, Loanhead, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The 32-year-old was hit in the face by a powerful backdraft when a door flew open inside the property which was like a ‘firework exploding’ in his face.
Doctors have now discovered that the dad-of-five has been left partially blind and has undergone a painful three hour treatment.
His brother, Robert, told how medics hope that his eyesight will slowly recover in the coming months.
He said: “Colin has been left partially blinded because of glass shards hitting him in the face from the door that exploded during the backdraft.
“He had to have his eyes treated for three hours and he’s not allowed to go outside without protective eyewear.
“He’s on medication and hopefully all his sight will be restored in a couple of months.”
The Daily Record yesterday told how hero Colin saved his young family from the raging inferno by breaking their falls as they leapt from the fourth-floor.
One-year-old Flynn and his sister Erin, nine, both suffered broken legs after being injured during the fall while mum Michelle Coleman, 37, broke her arm.
The family’s beloved dog, Rory, was feared dead after he couldn’t be found by fire crews who bravely battled the flames.
But the pet was remarkably found alive after hiding underneath damp washing in the fire-ravaged flat.
Robert explained: “My brother told me that the reason the dog survived is because he had done a washing before going to bed and put some wet clothes on top of a cage where the dog sometimes goes to sleep at night.
“When all the commotion was happening the dog ran into the side of the cage and knocked some of the wet clothes onto the ground.
“Rory jumped on top of them and the remaining wet clothes fell on top of him so he was basically wrapped in the wet clothes.
“The fireman said that he was a goner as they could not find him.
“But he was found the following day wrapped in the clothes laying on the only piece of flooring left in a corner of the house that didn’t fall through to the neighbours below them. “It’s a miracle.
“The forensics and CID are involved to get to the bottom of the fire.
“Whether it is suspected arson by someone putting something through the letterbox is unknown.”
A probe is now underway to determine the cause of the horrendous blaze which saw 22 residents evacuated at around 3.30am.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Enquiries are continuing following a fire at a tenement building on McNeill Terrace, Loanhead, reported around 3.35am on Sunday, 25 October, 2020.
"A 13-year-old girl and a 37-year-old woman were taken to Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment but have since been discharged.
"Twenty-two residents were evacuated from the building, however, due to significant structural damage to the building, they are not able to return."
A fundraiser has been launched to help the traumatised Walker family while they recover from their injuries which included smoke inhalation.
To donate, please click here.
