Musselburgh fire: Man, 33, arrested after blaze at block of flats in East Lothian

A man, 33, has been arrested in connection with a blaze in East Lothian, which forced several families to evacuate.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene of the blaze, which took place in a stairwell at Bellfield Court in the Campie area of Musselburgh, following a series of calls from worried residents at around 8.30pm last night.

Homeowners were evacuated onto the street as firefighters tackled the fire but at least one family were trapped in their flat due to thick smoke.

Children could be seen hanging out a bedroom window in an effort to stay away from the smoke and the family were eventually led down the badly damaged stairwell by a fire crew.

It is believed the fire started in the flat stair and images show the exterior of the building suffered scorch marks and smoke damage.

Three appliances were in attendance along with two ambulances and police officers.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “It was around 8.30 when I started to smell smoke coming from outside. Then a couple of smoke alarms went off and I knew something was up.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extinguished a blaze at a block of flats in the Campie area of Musselburgh on Wednesday night. (Photo credit: Alexander Lawrie)

“I opened the door to my flat and the whole stair was filled with thick black smoke.

“We managed to get out into the street and banged on a few neighbours’ doors to alert them before calling the fire brigade.

“Unfortunately a couple of families on the upper floors couldn’t get down due to the thick smoke in the stair and were effectively trapped.

“The kids were hanging out the window of one flat and panicking a bit and at one point I thought they would have to be rescue through the open window.

Firefighters were praised after rescuing a family from the fire.

“But the brave firefighters managed to get up the stair and break their front door down to get them all out safely.

“They were so professional and did a really great job - we were all so impressed.

“I know the family involved were so grateful to those guys because really they are putting their lives on the line for us.”

The flames were extinguished by a crew from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 8.43pm on Wednesday, April 20 to reports of a fire within a block of flats in Musselburgh.

"Operations Control mobilised four appliances to the scene at Belfield Court, where firefighters were met by a fire within a stairwell.

"Firefighters extinguished the fire and helped lead six people to safety.

"The individuals were then passed into the care of paramedics, who carried out precautionary check-ups. No one required to be taken to hospital.

"Crews left the scene after working to make the area safe."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a fire in a stairwell at Bellfield Court in Musselburgh around 9pm on Wednesday, 20 April.

“A number of properties in the block were evacuated safely and the occupants checked at the scene by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“The fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“A 33-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and enquiries are ongoing.”