A woman has died from a house fire in Blantyre on Friday, July 10, police have confirmed.
The 59-year-old’s body was recovered from the scene in Heathcliffe Avenue which saw the roof of the building completely collapse from the blaze.
Emergency services were called to the address shortly after 2am on Friday morning and remained there throughout the day extinguishing the fire and securing the area with nearby residents being evacuated.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a fire within a property on Heathcliffe Avenue, Blantyre, around 2.20am on Friday, 10 July, 2020.
“The body of a 59-year-old woman was found at the scene.
“A joint investigation between Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has found the cause of the fire is not suspicious.
“A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.”
Officers advised the property was not safe to enter while enquries were ongoing on Friday. Pictures from the incident show roofs from two homes destroyed by the blaze.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 2.12am on Friday, July 10 to reports of a house fire in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire.
“Operations Control mobilised four appliances to the town’s Heathcliffe Avenue, where crews were met by an incident involving a partial structure collapse.
“Firefighters currently remain on the scene working to extinguish the fire and make the area safe.”
Blantyre Councillor Maureen Chalmers commented: “It’s so sad. I feel deeply for the family, friends and neighbours as I know it was very traumatic incident for people in the area. My thoughts are with everyone affected.”
One nearby resident saw the incident while he was up in the early hours of the morning. He told the Advertiser: “I am a couple of roads away. I was up getting a drink just after 2am and saw blue lights pass my window. I took a look out and could see smoke and occasional flames above the roofs of the houses opposite. I actually thought it was a house just over the back from me, it must have been a large fire for me to see it from where I was (downhill with two streets between us).
“I took the dog out for a walk an hour ago and saw a lot of damage to the buildings. I could only see three of the houses from where I was but at least the middle two looks like the roofs have caved in."
