by A BABY is Fɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ For Her Life In ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ After A Fɪʀᴇ Ripped Through Her Family Home
Little Ellie Young, aged 14 months, sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ sᴍᴏᴋᴇ ɪɴʜᴀʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ in the ʙʟᴀᴢᴇ and was put in an induced ᴄᴏᴍᴀ ʙʏ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs. Her parents Darren Young and Cara Lawtie, 29, woke up when the tot’s baby monitor started bleeping as their sᴛᴀᴛɪᴄ ᴄᴀʀᴀᴠᴀɴ Fɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴍᴏᴋᴇ.
They fled in their bare feet but were unable to sᴀᴠᴇ any belongings, as the Fʟᴀᴍᴇs ʀᴀɢᴇᴅ out of control in Newmachar, Aberdeenshire. Ellie was airlifted to ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Glasgow where her ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ mum and dad were at her bedside last night.
Farmer Darren, 38, said: “It’s a ɴɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ, an absolute ɴɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ. We’ve lost everything and all we’ve got left are the clothes we had on, which wasn’t really much. Cara was in her pyjamas and I had my boxers and a pair of jeans that I managed to grab on my way out. That’s all we had, no shoes. Nothing.”
She said: “They are in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ with Ellie fighting for her tiny little life. As you can imagine they are very ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪsᴇᴅ and busy by her side. I can’t imagine the worry and pain they must be going through losing everything and watching their little girl so helpless in a ᴄᴏᴍᴀ in a ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ bed.”
The Fɪʀᴇ started late at night as the couple slept and quickly engulfed the car that was parked in front of the caravan. Before Fɪʀᴇfighters arrived Darren ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ to get their pets out of the caravan and attempted to stop the flames spreading to his tool shed.
Darren was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ for sᴍᴏᴋᴇ ɪɴʜᴀʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and ʙᴜʀɴs. He was released on Wednesday and headed to Glasgow to be with Cara at Ellie’s bedside at the city’s Queen Margaret ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ. Locals are donating clothes and other much-needed items to the coupe, as well as cash.
Cara thanked everyone. She said: “Anything to help us rebuild our lives will be massively appreciated.”
Darren added: “It’s amazing what they’re doing for us, absolutely amazing. We’re just ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍᴇᴅ with how much folk are trying to help us. We’re very grateful to everyone.”
Police said there were no sᴜsᴘɪᴄɪᴏᴜs ᴄɪʀᴄᴜᴍsᴛᴀɴᴄᴇs involved in the Fɪʀᴇ.
A spokesman for Scottish Fɪʀᴇ and Rescue said: “We were alerted at 10.44pm on Monday, March 7, to reports of a caravan Fɪʀᴇ at Newmachar. Two ᴄᴀsᴜᴀʟᴛɪᴇs were taken to ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ by paramedics. Fɪʀᴇfighters left after making the area safe.”
