Blaze at tenement treated as a crime

A BLAZE which broke out in a Dundee close is being treated as a crime.

Firefighters were called out to the fire in Pitfour Street today at 1.24am.

The Tele understands that petrol was used in the blaze.

The fire took place on the second-floor landing and a resident’s front door was damaged by the blaze.

It is understood a woman and three children live at the property.

Neighbours said that emergency services were out in force in the early hours.

One said she heard noises as if someone was attempting to kick in a door.

She said: “It looks really bad. The smell of smoke is still very strong in the air.

“It looks as if the door itself was set on fire.”

Another resident said she woke up and saw three fire engines, a police car and an ambulance outside.

She said: “It was very noisy for at least an hour and it sounded like someone was trying to kick in a door.

“There was a lot of loud banging. I hope no one was hurt.”

Police at the flats said the area was being treated as a crime scene.

Three police vehicles arrived at 9am with officers entering the flat.

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “The fire happened in the second-floor stairwell. Firefighters also used breathing apparatus, all persons were accounted for and there will be a joint police and fire investigation today.

“Two appliances were called from Blackness and one from Macalpine Road to deal with the incident.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland is carrying out a joint investigation along with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”

Meanwhile, firefighters used a battering ram to break in the door of a flat after neighbours smelled burning at a property yesterday.

Residents at a block in Spey Drive, Menzieshill, alerted fire crews amid concerns for a dog which was locked within one of the flats.

Some of the residents were evacuated for 45 minutes while firefighters forced entry into the first-floor property to tackle the blaze, the cause of which was not known.

A fire service spokeswoman said: “Two fire engines from Macalpine Road and one engine from the Kingsway attended at 10.02am after a fire.”

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The flat’s door.