Eight people hurt after fire sweeps through flats

Eight people, including a baby and three children, were injured in a fire yesterday morning.

Fire services received several 999 calls to the fire in Broomlands Street, Paisley at around 12:15am.

Fire-fighters rescued a family of six, two adults and three children and a baby, from a top floor flat window with a fire engine ladder. A man and a woman were also rescued from the first floor flat.

The eight casualties were treated for burns and severe smoke inhalation at the scene and taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The mother of the family's condition has been described as "critical but stable".

Just hours later residents escaped two more fires in Cumnock and Lauder.

This comes after five fire-related deaths were reported within a 72-hour period in Scotland earlier this week.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue has appealed to people to take more care following the incidents. Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue's director of community safety, said: "In addition to these tragic incidents, there have been 68 fires involving casualties in Strathclyde since the start of December. We would remind people to be extremely careful over what remains of the festive holiday and beyond."