A COUNCIL leader has hailed staff and emergency services for their response to a major fire in Dalmuir at the weekend.

Councillor Martin Rooney, chair of West Dunbartonshire Community Planning Partnership (WDCPP), praised the efforts of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland and Council employees who were on the scene.

Emergency services rushed to the former care home Frank Downie House in Ottawa Crescent within minutes of the alarm being raised at 9.36pm on Saturday night.

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As crews battled the flames, smoke plumes began to engulf the surrounding area and council employees supported officers in evacuating families from nearby homes.

They also helped updating residents in the surrounding area as the fire continued throughout the night.

Nearby Clydemuir Primary School was opened by staff to act as an evacuation centre for those asked to leave their homes and remained open as a rest centre for blue light response teams until 5am.

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Councillor Rooney said: “This was a major fire and, had it not been for the swift actions of emergency services, could have devastated the homes and lives of the residents whose properties are in close proximity to the site.

"Our Council staff go above and beyond for residents in West Dunbartonshire on a daily basis and their response to support residents affected by this fire is a shining example of this.

“The Neighbourhood Team were on site within minutes and played a key role in keeping residents updated and supporting Police, and were quickly joined by colleagues from Care at Home, Education, Facilities Management, Homelessness, and our resilience staff.

"We had staff there until the early hours of the morning and back on site again on Sunday to offer support.

“I also know a number of employees who live in the surrounding area attended on Saturday night and offered to help in any way they could.

"I want to thank each of them for everything they did over the weekend to ensure residents in Dalmuir were supported and reassured.”

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Councillor Michelle McGinty, depute chair of WDCPP, added: “This fire must have been terrifying for those who live nearby and I want to thank the emergency services and all of our employees for their response, I know their presence and efforts will have provided comfort and reassurance to residents in Dalmuir.

“We had staff from a wide range of services who attended out of hours on Saturday night and stayed until the early hours of Sunday morning, and more staff still supporting on the phone and in sending messages to residents to keep them safe.

"Police and the Fire Service are now investigating and we will provide every support to them.”

The former HSCP care home site was vacated 19 months ago and was recently sold to a developer.