Couple in dramatic rooftop rescue as fire engulfs flats

Charlie Boisseau and his wife Tamara, had to be plucked from the rooftop of the four-storey building by firefighters following the blaze on Leith Walk in the early hours of yesterday morning.

An investigation is now under way into the blaze which fire chiefs say could have led to lives being lost.

Mr and Mrs Boisseau were among eight residents rescued from the Croall Place building after items left in the stairwell - including prams, a rowing machine, a bike and a tyre - were set alight at about 4am.

Fire crews used a hydraulic platform to rescue some residents from their windows while those in lower flats were helped through the stairwell and on to the street.

An elderly woman and a 22-year-old woman were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but no-one required hospital treatment.

IT director Mr Boisseau, 25, who escaped to the roof via a fire exit, said: "When the smoke alarm went off I was looking around the flat for a fire. Phone in hand I opened the front door and looked out thinking 'what's my exit route?' but was confronted with a wall of thick, acrid smoke. No-one could breathe any of that without keeling over.

"The first thing that went through my head was we need to get out of here, what do we take? My wife's first reaction was 'Where is the cat?' We couldn't find it but I persuaded my wife we can't wait and that the best way to get out was the roof."

The couple, dressed in pyjamas, were on the rooftop for less than a minute before being rescued by the cherrypicker and taken to safety.

Mr Boisseau, who runs IT company Factotum Technical in Broughton Market, said the material ignited in the common stair had given off particularly noxious fumes.

"If this had happened during the day someone would have seen it but at 4am when people are asleep the smoke is quietly killing them. Without an alarm it's horrendously dangerous. The lesson for me is make sure your smoke alarm works."

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze was being treated as suspicious and could have had fatal consequences.

"This was a large-scale operation for our firefighters and it was really because of their skill, professionalism and quick response that they were able to get everyone out. There was very dense smoke which can really affect people in a matter of minutes. When people walk through thick smoke they can lose consciousness very quickly. Potentially the consequences could have been much more serious and lives could have been lost.

"It goes without saying that a fire in the common stair, which is the most obvious escape route for people, is an exceptionally dangerous thing."