A RESIDENT of a fatal building fire which ripped through several homes has spoken out about the trauma she has faced as a result of the blaze.

Families in McCulloch Street and Lincluden Path, in Pollokshields, had to evacuate their homes after the alarm was raised on the afternoon of June 1.

Shamila Ahmed was working from home when events took place.

She said: “The whole experience was really scary and upsetting.

“I was terribly anxious and just devastated.

“I’ve been off work since it happened.

“Our cat was left behind after we had all evacuated, so she had to be escorted by the police to get out of the building.

“She hasn’t got back to normal since. She has been terrified and so scared.”

Glasgow Times:

For several hours, firefighters tackled the dramatic blaze that left 15 families displaced.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent nine fire engines to the scene, as well as further specialist units including an aerial platform ladder.

Shamila added: “It was really horrific just watching on, you know, everything you worked for and earned throughout life being destroyed in front of you.

“I don’t even have the words for it. It was just so hard, and for everything to go down so fast was just really upsetting.

“I was sitting on my bed in my pyjamas. I had my slippers on, but not even a bra. I had to leave the way I was.”

The evacuated families, who were forced to leave with just the clothes on their back, were housed in hotels until they were placed in temporary accommodation.

Shamila, her mum and her siblings, 20, 21 and nine, are currently living in two separate flats in Kinning Park.

Shamila added: “When we were in the hotel, we were given £20 per person for the week. I believe that support was given through the council.

“The community also ran a fundraising page to appeal for money donations, so we were also given help through that.

Glasgow Times:

“When we did go do our first lot of shopping with the money, just to help us get by, me and my sisters went into Primark and bought one pair of pyjamas, one pair of leggings and a top, because we literally did live in our pyjamas the whole time we were at the hotel because we were obviously devastated.

“I didn’t even go into the shower for the first few days because at that time I had no change of clothes or anything.

“It was just overall a horrific experience; you’d never wish it upon anyone.

“When you’re out and about and see a fire, you would never think that it would happen to yourself. Just to lose everything in a matter of seconds, everything that you’ve worked so hard for, and the fact that you’d have to slowly rebuild it all.”

Despite being one month on from the fire, uncertainties over how long the buildings will take to be safe still remain.

Last week, families were able to go back to their homes and retrieve anything that was salvageable.

“A lot of our stuff was damaged,” Shamila said. “In regard to the larger furniture, we don’t know what the damage is because we weren’t able to touch it or anything. It was just the small things we were told we could go and collect.

Glasgow Times:

“It was me and my mum that went into the building to try and see if there was anything we were able to get.

“Most of the clothes were completely water damaged, there was mould growing on them as well as the shoes and everything else. Pretty much everything was ruined.

“The two backrooms of the house – my sister and my brother’s rooms – the clothes in there were okay. So, we managed to get their clothes and shoes out. All of our sentimental possessions were ruined. It’s been really stressful for us as a family.

“As of yet, we don’t know what’s going to happen with the building, and whether it’s going to be brought down or rebuilt, or whether they’re going to refurbish the building, we don’t know.

“But even going back to the site just now, it’s haunting.”

Glasgow Times:

A spokesman for Southside Housing Association said they will do their best to accommodate every resident, with their preference on moving back to McCulloch Street/Lincluden Path, or not.

Meanwhile, the timescale of how long the buildings will be reinstated remains unknown, but could take over a year.

Junaid Saddiqui, 53, was arrested and charged in connection with the fire. He appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on June 7, charged with wilful fire-raising and murder, after Rahul Thakur’s body was found following the blaze.

The 48-year-old lost his life in the incident. Saddiqui made no plea and was remanded in custody.