The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Tributes paid to man in B&M fire
TRAGEDY: Police confirm name of blaze victim as Jamie East after body recovered from burned out store at Perth retail park
Tributes have been paid to a Perth man found inside the city’s fire ravaged B&M store.
Jamie East was inside the shop in St Catherine’s Retail Park when it was engulfed in flames last weekend.
Concerns had been raised about the 33-year-old when he was spotted on CCTV entering the building shortly before the blaze broke out in the early hours of Saturday August 24.
Yesterday police confirmed the body found on Sunday night was Mr East.
Neighbours at his city centre flat said they were in shock.
“He was just a solid guy, never any bother,” one resident said. “Everyone who knows him will be devastated.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed Mr East had died in the fire.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” he said.
Tributes have been paid to a Perth construction worker who died in a “suspicious” blaze at a city superstore.
Jamie East was inside the B&M shop in St Catherine’s Retail Park when it was engulfed in flames.
The 33-year-old’s body was discovered by police among the ruins of the building on Sunday evening.
Concerns had been raised about Mr East when he was spotted on CCTV entering the building shortly before fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday August 24.
The footage was shown to his family, who confirmed they had not heard from him since the morning of the fire.
Mr East moved from his home in Musselburgh to Perth several years ago.
He was working as a labourer, having previously held jobs with Amazon and Perth and Kinross Council.
Neighbours at his city centre flat said they were in shock.
“He was just a solid guy, never any bother,” one resident said.
“Everyone who knows him will be devastated.”
Local SNP councillor Eric Drysdale said the fire had been “a real tragedy”.
He said: “My heart goes out to his family and friends.
“I’d also like to pay tribute to everyone involved in the operation to locate and recover the body, and on behalf of the community I express gratitude to firefighters and police for their professionalism.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed Mr East had died in the fire.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” he said.
“Mr East’s family are being provided with appropriate support, and have asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”
Locals flooded social media with messages of condolence. Sharon Maree Justice wrote: “RIP Jamie, you were a lovely guy who will be sadly missed.”
The building was screened off over the weekend as construction crews battled around the clock to make it safe for search teams to get inside.
Drones were used to check the store from above, while the cordon was extended, blocking access from the retail park to Glasgow Road.
Chief Inspector Ian Scott confirmed on Friday that there were concerns that a body was lying in amongst the wreckage.
He said police continued to work with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to establish the cause of the blaze.
“We would like to thank local residents for their patience and understanding,” he said.
Around 50 firefighters tackled the inferno at B&M, which broke out just after 2am.
Dozens of animals were removed from the neighbouring Pets At Home branch as a precaution.