A FATHER has been described as a "true hero" in saving the lives of his wife and 11-year-old son before he died in a fire that destroyed their East Dunbartonshire home.
Colin Davies, 45, who died in the blaze on the Mains Estate in Milngavie has been hailed as a "hero" by his 42-year-old multiple sclerosis-suffering wife Catherine who is recovering from a broken ankle with her son 11-year-old Joel.
Neighbours made a dramatic rescue to save the lives of Mrs Davies and Joel after Mr Davies shouted on them to "get out the house" as the fire took hold.
It is believed Mr Davies had gone downstairs to investigate after the smoke alarm went off in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Neighbours managed to persuade Joel to jump 40 feet into their arms from an upstairs bedroom window of the semi-detached home as the fire was at its height.
Then they managed to coax the man's 42-year-old wife Mrs Davies to jump down towards them and onto a mattress during Sunday's rescue.
Ali Kerr, one of the organisers of a fund-raising campaign which has raised over £7000 for the family so far, said that she has visited her friend Mrs Davies who said she wanted people to know that "Colin was a hero and that he was the one who save her and Joel".
"Catherine loves Colin very much and he was her true hero that night, he saved the lives of both her and their son Joel who is 11yrs," said Ms Kerr. "She said if Colin had not shouted from down stairs for them to 'get out of the house' they would not be here today, as they would not have exited the bedroom window.
"Catherine wants to pay special thanks to Darren Fleming and Graham Black, they were so brave and fought through the smoke to do everything to save them all. They helped her and Joel escape, and managed to break their fall with a mattress when they jumped from the second floor.
"Catherine suffered a broken ankle from the fall and Joel luckily escaped with minor injuries. Within minutes of them jumping, the house was up in flames.
"The fire has completely destroyed their house and all of their contents are now gone." Two online crowd funding pages set up up by concerned neighbours to raise money for the family have been gathering money at a rate of over £1500 a day since the tragedy.
Organisers say there has been an "overwhelming response" for the fund, with some offering clothing and one company offering to fit a new bathroom at the fire-damaged property.
"Catherine suffers from a debilitating illness MS, this prevents her from working and from carrying out normal everyday tasks and chores that others find easy and she relied on Colin for a lot of this," said Ms Kerr. "Colin helped her so much and was such a caring husband and great father to Joel.
"Catherine will be wheelchair bound for a while as she recovers from her injuries, this is also going to make things especially challenging for her and Joel.
"Both Catherine and Joel need all the support they can get. Her family have been great and have not left her side, they are helping her as much as they can. "
The fire broke out at 2am on Sunday. Concerned neighbours raised the alarm and fire crews attended quickly to put out the blaze.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
The neighbours' rescue began after one neighbour spotted the blaze after becoming concerned that her son's dog had been barking.
Catherine and Joel were rushed to hospital to undergo treatment for non life threatening injuries. Colin, who is believed to have been found by firefighters in the house hallway passed away shortly after arrival.
"All the neighbours near by have been so very supportive throughout all this, it's so lovely that they have all come together and they are all doing their part to help out," added Ms Kerr. "These donations are not going to take away the pain of losing a loved one, but it can at least help towards rebuilding their lives once again."
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