The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Police do not believe city fires linked and appeal for witnesses
Three major fires in as many nights in Dundee are not being treated as connected, Police Scotland confirmed.
Flames engulfed Hilltown Indoor Market and the adjacent Fit 4 Less gym, Braeview Academy and Balmydown Farm on three consecutive nights this week.
A police spokesman said there is nothing apparent that links the incidents and the force is appealing for witnesses to each.
The Hilltown blaze left the building badly damaged and assessments are being made into whether it can be saved. One of the building’s owners, Ross Morrison, was on-site yesterday trying to get information from police and fire services as to how badly it was damaged. At the scene, he said: “We are still finding out what is going to happen to the market at the moment.”
One gym member who was inside the building at the time described the moment she was alerted to the fire.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “The lights went out and then the fire alarm went off. The lights didn’t go back on in the room but when we made it to the corridor we could see where we were going.
“We were all standing in the car park but the fire got larger so we were told to go across the road or into The Snug bar.”
Inspector Cath Lannen said: “Inquiries are at an early stage and we will work jointly with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to establish the cause of the fire. The building has been extensively damaged. I would appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time of the fire to come forward.”
There were plans to revamp the market. One of the men behind the plans, Gary Gallagher, said he was “gutted” by the news and that they will now likely look for new premises.