A woman who woke up to go to the toilet during the night saved her best friend from a fire in Inverness suspected to have been caused by a phone charger – before then returning with her boyfriend to save their pets.
Casey MacRae, 19, who lived in the Ness Castle area with her boyfriend Jordan Blackley, 25, had a friend staying overnight in their top floor flat when a blaze broke out under the bed the women were sleeping in.
Casey pulled her friend’s hair to wake her before going back into the fire to rescue kitten Scrump while Jordan saved hamster Lilo.
The young couple who lost everything in the blaze apart from the clothes they were standing in and have now had a fundraising campaign set up in their names.
‘I saw an orange glow from bedroom’
The fundraiser will help to replace the clothes, furniture and belongings that went up in a matter of minutes in the top floor flat.
Casey said: “Earlier that evening a phone charger had sparked up into a wee fire, and we had put it out and threw it away carefully.
“I got up to go for a pee during the night about 1am. I was sleeping beside my best friend Cody Chinskie.
“I went into the living room to see Jordan and I saw an orange glow from my bedroom. I got a real shock. My first priority was my best friend.
“I went back into the bedroom and three quarters of the bed was on fire.
“I didn’t think about anything else – just saving her.
“I pulled Cody out of bed. Just a few minutes later it was up in flames. Jordan phoned 999.”
‘Within seconds of leaving flat it went up with a bang’
She continued: “We then realised the kitten Scrump, and the hamster Lilo were still in the flat.
“I lifted up the burning bed to get Scrump from where he was hiding and Jordan got Lilo.
“Within 10 seconds of us leaving the flat for the last time the flat went up with a bang.
“It is very scary to think that if I had been there for 10 more minutes that we all would have gone up in flames
“We then banged on all the doors of the flats as we were coming out the building to make sure everyone was safe.”
Best friend Cody, 18, said: “When the first fire happened with the phone charger it was like I had breathed in the fumes, and had carbon monoxide poisoning.
“I could hear Casey shouting and I could feel the heat of it – but I could not wake up. I then felt myself getting dragged out of the fire by my hair. I have no idea how I missed the fire.
“Thank God Casey woke me up when she did.”
Spark from phone charger blamed for fire
More than £1,300 has already been pledged to the couple through the online fundraiser since it was established.
The fire service told Casey and Jordan a spark from the phone charger smouldering under the bed was the likely cause of the Inverness flat going up in flames.
While the couple wait for a new home from the housing association, they are living in bed and breakfast accommodation.
Jordan, who roused the emergency services, said: “We lost everything, nothing is salvageable due to smoke, water and fire damage.
“When the fire was out we were taken upstairs and saw our whole flat, which we called home was gone. Not one thing is worth saving due to all the damage with the fire, smoke and water.
“We don’t like asking but if anyone would be able to help out with anything at all we would be extremely grateful.”
A fundraiser by Jordan’s mum Debbie set up to help the young couple said: “I am fundraising for my son and his girlfriend.
“Due to a tragic house fire on Friday, May 20 in the early hours of the morning it has left them with nothing which means they have to relocate and start from scratch
“They have lost everything and any help will be appreciated. Material things don’t matter all involved safe including their animals.
“However no one wants to be in this predicament when you’ve lost your home and all your belongings. Any help no matter how little will help set them up when they get relocated.”
Donations can be made online to support the fundraiser HERE
Conversation