An inquiry into a nursing home blaze which killed 14 elderly residents got under way on Monday, with the relatives of several of the victims giving evidence.

A minute's silence was held at the start of the Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the fire at the Rosepark Home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire.

As well as the 14 deaths, four residents were injured when the blaze broke out in a cupboard in January 2004.

The home's owners, Thomas, Anne and Alan Balmer are represented at the FAI, as well as Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, NHS Lanarkshire and the Care Commission.

An attempt to prosecute the Balmers in 2007 for alleged safety breaches was dismissed by a judge in 2007, while a further indictment served last year was also dropped.

Now, an FAI is aiming to establish whether any reasonable precautions could have been taken to avoid the deaths. Relatives also hope it will allow them to find out exactly what happened, and whether further safeguards which could prevent similar incidents in future.

At the Gospel Literature Outreach Centre in Motherwell on Monday, several family members of victims gave evidence in the first session of the inquiry.

Janette Bulloch, a retired clerical assistant, lost her 85-year-old mother Helen Crawford.

Asked why her mother was in the home, Mrs Bulloch said: "She had Alzheimer's and it was becoming increasingly difficult to cope with her."

She said she visited her mother frequently. Asked whether her mother's bedroom door was generally kept open or closed, she replied: "Her preference would be to have it open."

She said she had noticed fire drill instructions on the walls at the home but added that sometimes she noticed fire doors were open.

The inquiry, before Sheriff Principal Brian Lockhart, is expected to last between four and six months.