Man in IRH after house blaze
Lisa Hodge • Published 15 Nov 2010 14:00
A MAN was taken to hospital and his dog found dead after a blaze broke out in a Greenock tenement early this morning.
Archibald McClure, 48 - who is known as Des - was found collapsed on the top landing after attempting to stagger to safety from the burning flat.
His dog, Barney, was discovered lying lifeless in the inside hall.
Fifteen firefighters had raced to the property in Lyle Street following reports of smoke in the tenement close.
A spokesman for Greenock fire station said: "The fire was contained in the living room, but the man seems to have tried to get out of the flat and collapsed as he made his way on to the landing.
"Sadly the dog died. Fire investigations were at the scene during the night."
The victim was taken by ambulance to Inverclyde Royal Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Relatives today said he was still in the high dependency unit.
Police this morning revealed the blaze is not being treated as suspicious.
A spokesman for Greenock Police said: "It was an accidental fire and the man is being treated for smoke inhalation."
Meanwhile, police are investigating a suspicious house fire in Greenock in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It broke out just before 7am in a ground-floor flat in Nile Street.
No one was at home and there were no injuries, but heat and smoke damage was caused to the living room.
A police spokesman said: "CID are investigating the cause of the fire."
Firefighters were also called to a blaze in an unoccupied end-terraced house in Oronsay Avenue, Port Glasgow, at 7.20pm last night. They remained at the scene for two hours.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 15 Nov 10
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