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The staff of a care home in Kirriemuir in Angus were praised last week for using their fire training skills to evacuate dozens of residents safely after a fire broke out at the building.

The fire at the Lisden Care Home was discovered at around midnight on Thursday 10th February by staff, who immediately rang the emergency services and began evacuating residents.

A total of 35 of the home’s residents were evacuated, the rest being allowed to remain in their rooms as the fire was extinguished so quickly and smoke hadn’t reached them.

Thanks to the fast actions of care home staff and firefighters from Tayside Fire & Rescue Service, no one was hurt in the incident. Speaking after the incident, Balhousie Care Group chair Tony Banks said:

“Of course our priority is the safety and wellbeing of residents and in line with our procedures, the staff very quickly evacuated everyone to safe areas inside the home until the all-clear was given. No one was hurt and the fire was dealt with quickly, and residents were allowed to return to their rooms.
“We are very proud of our staff for the calm and efficient way in which they dealt with the situation, and the fire brigade also praised their efforts as a team.”

The cause of the fire was later found to be an aerosol can in a sluice room waste paper bin, which caused an explosion followed by flames and smoke.