A CAIRNEYHILL pensioner thought her house was “going to explode” after a chip pan fire broke out in her home.

Marvyn Stewart (71, right) said there were “flames everywhere” as the blaze set the boiler alight in the kitchen of her Northbank Road home.

She said, “It was terrifying. We were frightened the house was going to explode because of the gas.

“One of the guys later told me we were lucky the house was still standing.

“It’s the biggest scare of my life.” The drama occurred just after 8pm last Thursday evening when Marvyn was at home with husband George (74) and daughter Emma (38).

She said, “I’d finished cooking and was sitting at the computer in the dining room when there was a big bang and then flames everywhere.

“I’d been doing a washing so I’d thrown wet towels over it but right away the flames were so high.

“The combi boiler is right above the cooker and is made of plastic so there were toxic fumes too.

“I was really scared. We dialled 999 and luckily we had neighbours that knew what to do.

“One got a fire extinguisher, sprayed it and put it out and there were two fire engines here really quickly.” The chip pan fire had set the boiler casing alight but thankfully it was quickly brought under control.

Fire crews doused the area to make sure the blaze was extinguished and isolated the gas supply.

Marvyn added, “If you had seen the mess of the house. It’s mainly confined to the kitchen but they sprayed the whole living room too.

“We’re still in the middle of cleaning but thankfully the electrics are OK.

“It’s still a bit smelly from the smoke but we’ve had the windows and doors open and air fresheners everywhere.” Marvyn, a committed Dunfermline Athletic fan who has helped raise more than £26,000 for the club at her supporters shop, said, “I’ve got nothing but praise for the firefighters, they were amazing and so were our neighbours.

“We’ve also had people on Facebook and everything wanting to help which has been really great and very touching.

“The firefighters did ask us not to stay in the house on Thursday night but my two wee cats – Amy and Molly – had run out and if we’d gone away they may not have come back.

“Amy had run out like a shot from a gun and we were out till all hours looking for them!”