THE ENNISKILLEN woman rescued from a house fire has said she feels “very lucky” to have survived after flames engulfed her home.

Lulu McElroy, who lives on the Derrin Road, was relaxing at home on Sunday night when a loose cigarette butt inadvertently set fire to a nearby set of curtains.

The fire spread in a matter of minutes, and Mrs. McElroy was almost overcome with smoke as she attempted to fetch water to put out the fast-spreading blaze.

She narrowly escaped through the front door, and was helped out of the house by two neighbours who had spotted the fire and swiftly came to her aid.

“It all happened so fast; I feel very lucky,” Mrs. McElroy said, recounting what she described as a “traumatic” experience.

“I’m on medication and had been relaxing with a few drinks.

“I had dropped a cigarette butt behind the sofa, but I thought it was out. It must have caught the bottom of the curtain without me realising.

“I was in the kitchen, and I smelled the smoke from there. The next thing the curtains were up in flames. I ran to get water but I couldn’t do it. It was like a bonfire coming out.”

Mrs. McElroy said she opened the front door in an attempt to get out, but feels that the sudden rush of oxygen into the house served to further spread the fire.

“Perhaps if I hadn’t opened the door and let the oxygen in, there might not have been as much damage. But I had to get out,” she said.

“At that stage, the neighbours came to help me. To be honest, I was more concerned about the 92-year-old woman who lives next door. I was relieved to see that she was out of her house.”

The Fire Service soon arrived on the scene, including two fire engines from Enniskillen Fire Station and one from Irvinestown Fire Station. Mrs. McElroy was taken to hospital for treatment for her injuries.

It was only when the blaze was extinguished was the true damage revealed.

Destroyed Along with major damage to the property itself,  the majority of Mrs. McElroy’s sentimental possessions were  completely destroyed.

“The house is condemned, and there was a lot of sentimental stuff lost, including things belonging to my children and the grandchildren, as well as things my husband had collected.”

She concluded: “I am grateful to all the neighbours who reacted so well. They were very, very good. I am also grateful for the support I have received from my church.”

One of the people who was first on the scene was Derrin Road resident, Gerry McVitty. Along with another neighbour, he helped bring Mrs. McElroy to safety.

“It happened so quickly,” Mr. McVitty recounted. “My son looked out the window and said, ‘Daddy, the house is on fire across the road!’ “I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. The flames were coming up in waves.

“I went out of the house and all I could hear was, ‘Help me, help me’. She [Mrs. McElroy] was at the front door, lying on her front. Myself and another neighbour got her away from the house.

“Others at the scene helped to get the next-door neighbour, who is 92, out of her house. Thankfully, other police and fire [services] came fairly quickly.

“Everyone is still in shock. It’s a miracle no one was killed or badly injured. It just goes to show you what can happen.”

Speaking on the incident, a spokesperson from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters were called to reports of a fire at a house in Derrin Road.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reels and one jet to extinguish the fire.

“One person had been rescued from the building by neighbours prior to firefighters arriving.

The cause of the fire is believed to have been accidental and the incident was dealt with by 12.45am (Monday, May 27).”

Sunday night’s incident happened a matter of days after a fire at a flat at nearby Derrin Park (left), which police are treating as “arson with intention to endanger life.”

One person escaped without injury during the incident on Thursday, May 23, and a police investigation continues.

Detective Sergeant Murphy said: “We are treating this is as arson with intent to endanger life and officers remain at the scene in order to establish the circumstances of the incident.

“I am appealing to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area yesterday evening, or who has any information or CCTV or other footage that could assist with enquiries, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1676 of 24/05/2