New-born baby among residents evacuated from Greenock tenement fire
A tenement flat block in Greenock was evacuated after a fire broke out on the top floor of the building.
A new-born baby and a number of other residents were forced to leave the building in Brachelston Street in the Inverclyde town after the blaze at 6.05pm on Monday.
Three fire crews discovered the fire had started in the kitchen and spread from the cooker across the worktops, producing a large amount of smoke throughout the flat.
Ambulance crews attended the scene and assisted people who had been inside the building at the time of the fire.
The new-born baby - from a neighbouring flat - was not thought to be injured but was taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up.
A man who had been in the flat when the fire broke out was taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
Another man - who had been rescued from a lower-level flat - was also taken to hospital after experiencing discomfort.
Incident commander Albert Bruce said: "This was a slow-burning fire that had spread from the cooker across the worktops and it produced a huge amount of smoke right down to a low level within the flat.
"Six firefighters went in wearing breathing apparatus and their incredibly swift and effective firefighting operation probably prevented the complete loss of the flat and the roof of the entire building.
"Our teams led people safely from lower-floor properties and conducted a systematic search for anyone who may have been in the flats on the top floor, but thankfully everyone there had already left the building.
"This incident must be a very clear reminder that we all need to act to protect ourselves and those around us.
"Leaving a cooker unattended while it's in use is a potentially fatal mistake - fire can start in an instant and very quickly spread toxic smoke, heat and flames throughout a home.''