Woman fights for life after flat blaze rescue

INVESTIGATORS are today trying to establish the cause of a blaze which has left a woman seriously ill in hospital.

The 33-year-old was found unconscious and not breathing in her third-floor flat by firefighters at around 6:30pm on Monday.

Yesterday, a family friend said that "things weren't looking too good" for the woman.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.

Fire crews attempted to resuscitate the woman outside her flat in Longstone Street as shocked neighbours looked on.

On arrival, paramedics were able to get her breathing again before she was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary suffering from burns and severe smoke inhalation.

An anxious family friend, who lives near the scene of the blaze, said: "I know she wasn't in a great condition when they took her to hospital. Things weren't looking too good."

Fire crews battled the flames for three hours as plumes of thick black smoke bellowed out of the windows. The interior of the tenement flat was left completely burnt out, with all the windows smashed and charred.

A neighbour, who lives in the block next door, said she watched as the woman was pulled out of the building.

She said: "I saw a stretcher coming out but I didn't see anything else. There were firemen and paramedics crowding around the stretcher. There was a lot of thick black smoke coming out the windows."

Another neighbour added: "I didn't know it was so serious. Everyone saw the engines and ambulances but I didn't know someone had been badly hurt.

"It's a terrible thing to happen just after New Year and Christmas. I really hope she's okay."

An elderly resident on the quiet cul-de-sac also described her disbelief. She said: "I can't believe it really. I didn't know the woman, but nothing like that ever happens around here. "I really hope she pulls through."

Last night, the scene outside the flat revealed the extent of the damage. The blackened remains of a table, chairs and a sofa were piled up on the snow-topped lawn.

Fire crews had replaced the damaged flat door with a temporary steel shutter. It is understood that the woman's family were at her bedside last night.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said that they were trying to determine the cause of the blaze.

She said: "We are currently investigating the cause of the fire at Longstone Street.

"One female was rescued by the service who was unconscious and not breathing."