Fire crews tell Kilwinning residents not to be alarmed by smoke

John McKenzie, Scottish secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), previously warned that the health and safety of fire crews was at a heightened risk due to having been on the scene for such a long period of time.

He said the crews “have been doing a fantastic job at a challenging incident preventing the spread of the fire and keeping the public safe.

“However, we know that Scottish firefighters are up to four times more likely to get certain cancers than the general population and are therefore concerned about the potential impact of fire contaminants on firefighters at the scene.

“The FBU continues to call for much needed additional investment to ensure that all appropriate decontamination and associated measures are in place to protect firefighters across Scotland from fire contaminants.”