Investigation into huge industrial blaze

Police and fire service to probe inferno at Baldovie carpet business – amid fears ravaged building may contain asbestos

Firefighters are investigating whether a Dundee industrial unit devastated by fire may contain harmful building material asbestos.

Carpet Reclaim Ltd, on Forties Road in the Baldovie Industrial Estate, went up in flames on Sunday evening at around 8pm.

Nobody was hurt but firefighters spent all Sunday night bringing the fire under control before working to extinguish the last pockets yesterday.

Neither Police Scotland nor Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have commented on whether or not the blaze was suspicious, but the area has been targeted by suspected fire-raisers in the past.

Multi-agency meetings took place throughout yesterday to determine the extent of the damage, the safety of the building, and the possible cause.

It’s understood fire, police and council officers were particularly concerned that the unit may have contained asbestos, which has been shown to cause cancer and other ill effects if inhaled.

The fire service confirmed it had been checking for the presence of the substance but said no further information was available.

The business, which recycles old carpets so the material can be used for equestrian riding surfaces, has temporarily ceased trading after the fire.

Owner Darren Young, who set up the firm around 18 months ago, previously said he feared he would be bankrupted by fire-raisers following a blaze in September last year.

Mr Young did not want to comment when approached yesterday but in a statement posted on social media, the company spoke of the devastating impact of the fire.

The post said it is not yet clear whether the business will be able to reopen but expressed gratitude for the “outpouring of support” and said it had “restored some faith” in people.

Flames from the unit could be seen from nearby housing estates in Whitfield and Ballumbie with many taking to the streets to watch.

Smoke plumes were visible for miles across all areas of Dundee, parts of Angus, and over the River Tay in Fife.

With Drumgeith Road closed from Forties Road to just short of the junction with Ballumbie Road, the nearby Baldovie Recycling Centre was shut to the public.

However, many other industrial facilities continued to operate, despite the presence of heavy smoke throughout the industrial estate and nearby streets yesterday.

The affected site, largely made up of warehouse space, stretches around 150 yards eastwards parallel to Drumgeith Road.

The building, which was formerly the Wood Group Aero factory, was also targeted by youths in autumn 2018.

A further update on the investigation into the cause will be shared by the SFRS in due course.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 8.14pm on Sunday June 7 to reports of a fire within an industrial estate at Forties Road in Dundee.

“At its height, operations control mobilised six appliances to the scene, where firefighters worked overnight to fight the fire.

“There are no casualties.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A joint investigation will be carried out between SFRS and Police Scotland to establish the cause – still too early to say.”

“At its height, operations control mobilised six appliances to the scene, where firefighters worked overnight to fight the fire. SCOTTISH FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE SPOKESMAN

Pictures: Mhairi Edwards. Left: Fire crews battle the blaze at its height on Sunday; water is sprayed on to the fire at Baldovie Industrial Estate in Dundee yesterday, above; smoke fills the air as firefighters prepare to go to work, below; and police and fire crews at the scene, below left.