Fire safety measures revealed after deadly Paisley blaze

“Extensive” work is being carried out to reduce the fire risk in a part of Paisley after three children were killed in a blaze last month.

Fire chiefs have confirmed a number of safety visits have been undertaken in the Renfrew Road area after 12-year-old Fiona Gibson and her brothers Alexander James and Philip – aged eight and five – died as their home was engulfed by flames on June 19.

During a meeting of Renfrewshire Council’s emergencies board, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service group manager Martin Hill also said more than 650 leaflets on fire safety had been delivered to residents following the incident.

In an update on the fire service’s activities in recent weeks, Mr Hill told elected members: “The most notable incident, clearly, has been the tragic triple fatality in the Gallowhill area of Renfrew Road.

“There is still work ongoing in that respect, post-incident. There are a number of things we had to prioritise. High on that agenda was the requirement to engage and provide reassurance to local residents and I can confirm we have carried out extensive work there.

“We’ve issued over 650 leaflets in that area and we’ve conducted a number of fire safety visits. The community action team has also been in contact with some of the community groups in that area.

“That reassurance and engagement continues and hopefully, in doing this, we are driving down any further fire risk in that area.”

The children’s mum, Julie Daley, was badly injured in the cottage flat blaze, which happened while their dad Alex was out at a shop.

Earlier this month, friends, classmates, neighbours and family lined the streets of Paisley for the funeral, as the community came together to bid farewell to the much-loved trio.

Alongside work in Renfrew Road, Mr Hill confirmed fire chiefs were working with the council to see what prevention measures could be put in place at the University of the West of Scotland’s Thornly Park campus in Caplethill Road, where a number of disused buildings have been targeted by firebugs in the past few weeks.

And investigations will be carried out around the Blackstoun Road area of the town, where arsonists set a pile of dumped tyres alight at the end of May, sending black toxic smoke into the skies above Ferguslie Park.

“There are a couple of other areas locally that we are working with the council and others on just to try and drive down the risk of fire, the Thornly Park campus being one which we’ve picked up just in the past week,” said Mr Hill during the virtual meeting.

“We are looking at a number of preventative measures there to see what we can put in place. I’ve also asked the team to do some engagement and reassurance in that area.

“We’re also looking at Blackstoun Road to try and drive down the risks there.”

Story by local democracy reporter Steph Brawn