Pic Katielee Arrowsmith/Deadline News
FIREFIGHTERS had to cut apart a metal gate that stopped them getting in to tackle a blaze at massive block of car-free, eco-friendly flats.
According to witnesses, a fire engine with a long ladder attachment was unable to get past the barrier at the development in Slateford Green, Edinburgh.
Firefighters were forced to jump out and use special equipment to dismantle the obstacle.
A fireman on scene, who asked not to be named, said: “We cut it because we couldn’t get it high enough to get the turntable ladder through.”
Residents were forced to flee for their lives after fire broke out shortly after lunchtime today (Fri) in a ground floor flat.
Residents suggested that the fire had been started deliberately by two youngsters using paper to set fire to the building’s wooden cladding.
