Raging fire reduced building to rubble

TIME stood still as the former Logie School in Dundee was engulfed by fire 20 years ago.

The 100-foot high flames spread rapidly throughout the B-listed building and could be seen from as far afield as Wormit and Broughty Ferry.

Within 30 minutes of the fire being discovered at 9pm, around 50% of the roof was ablaze.

Hundreds of people gathered in the street as 60 firefighters fought a losing battle to contain the flames which spread rapidly in all directions.

At 11pm a poignant reminder of the historical significance of the school, the clock tower with the hands showing the time at 8 o’clock, disappeared into the centre of the flames, signalling that the last remaining part of the roof had collapsed.

Logie Central School was opened in 1929 on the site of the former West Poor House and initially took secondary pupils for only three years before becoming a fourth year selective school until 1974.

The school was known by pupils as The Penitentiary or Colditz after its unique hexagonal design.

It later acted as an annexe to Harris Academy before being closed in 1998.

After that the building had been boarded up and preliminary investigations suggested the fire was started deliberately in the upper reaches of the building.

Evidence of forced entry to the building was detected and a group of youths were seen running away from the scene before the blaze took hold.

The fire would be overshadowed just a week later when Morgan Academy was virtually destroyed when a spectacular blaze ripped through the 133-year building.

On January 21, 2002, a boy,