Elderly Woman Dies In House Fire

An 88-year-old woman has died in a house fire.

Emergency services were alerted to the blaze at Craigelvan Gardens in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, at around 11.20am today.

The three fire crews dispatched to the scene found the blaze to be well-developed'' upon their arrival and an additional team was sent to help with the emergency response. The single-storey building had suffered a partial collapse.

Police Scotland later confirmed the death of the elderly woman.

A force spokeswoman said: Police can confirm that an 88-year-old woman has died in a fire at Craigelvan Gardens in Cumbernauld.

A 63-year-old man was also treated at the scene by paramedics.

An investigation is under way to establish the exact cause of the fire.''

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said appliances from Cumbernauld, Easterhouse and Kilsyth were involved in tackling the blaze.

A fire service spokesman said: Teams in breathing apparatus entered the property to search for anyone inside and sadly they located a woman who had died.

Firefighting operations were conducted both inside and outside the house and the fire was brought under control, however due to a partial structural collapse it is likely to be some time before crews can confirm it has been fully extinguished.''

The spokesman added: The loss of life through fire is always a tragedy felt very deeply across a community.

While we cannot comment on this circumstances of this specific incident our thoughts are very much with the woman's family and friends at what will clearly be an incredibly difficult time for them.

In the wake of today's terrible events we would of course remind anyone who is worried about the risk of fire in the home that they can contact us for support.

Our crews routinely conduct free home fire safety visits and if someone is concerned then they shouldn't hesitate to get in touch with us.''