A DUNFERMLINE dad and his children fought their way out of a smoke-filled stairwell at their home.

Kevin Driske along with his twins, Elbereth and Malach, aged 13, and elder son Zander, 15, became so disorientated by thick black smoke that they were unsure as to where they were after a fire at a block of council flats in Dunfermline on Saturday night.

Social care worker Kevin, 47, who lives on the top floor of a four-storey block in Gilfillan Road, explained: "When I opened the front door the smoke was so thick and overbearing.

"My first instinct was just to get out as we're on the top floor.

"I told my kids to cover their mouths but we were choking with the fumes.

"I thought we'd made it down the stairs but we were so disorientated we didn't know we were actually on the second floor.

"There was a bit of a panic and even using our phones it was hard to see but we eventually managed to find our way out.

"We just didn't know what was happening, it was all confusing."

After getting his kids to safety, Kevin decided to go back up to rescue his cat.

"It wasn't the wisest decision," he added.

The incident happened at around 8.45pm on Saturday after an electrical box in a cupboard caught fire on the ground floor.

While some residents fled down the stairs, others barricaded themselves into their flats.

It was Kevin's son, Zander, that alerted him to the smell of smoke.

"The power went out a couple of times on Saturday and then at about 8pm the lights started flickering," he continued.

"Then there was a bang and the power went out.

"I was just oblivious to what was going on and started looking for candles.

"My son was in the shower though so he could smell smoke coming through the window.

"When I opened the door, smoke was just billowing up the staircase."

Kevin was taken to hospital with his three children along with another girl from another family for precautionary checks.

"They said my blood pressure was through the roof," the dad added.

"I've never had any problems before and I think it was just fight or flight that kicked in.

"These flats were built a long time ago so I just wondered if the electrical box could cope with modern living.

"They're not exactly sure what's happened yet though.

"We're still without power though and that's been nearly 48 hours now.

"It's just frightening to think what could have happened if it was in the middle of the night."

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 8.43pm on Saturday, January 4, to reports of a building fire in Dunfermline.

“Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances to the town’s Gilfillan Road, where firefighters were met by a fire within a ground floor electrical cupboard.

“Four casualties were transferred to Fife’s Victoria Hospital by the Scottish Ambulance Service for a precautionary check-up.”

Fife Council approved work on Gilfillan Road back in 2017 at an estimated cost of £240,000. Changes included the installation of a replacement entrance door and bin store door, a new entrance canopy and front and rear curtain walling.

Lynne Johnston, lead officer said: “The power will be back on at the flats by 5pm today (Monday) and the tenants will be able to return home. There’s minimal smoke damage to the stairwell and we’re arranging for this to be cleaned.

“We’ll be checking the properties on either side and then draft a plan for further inspections.”