The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Investigation after man killed in Perth flat fire
TRAGEDY: Thomas ‘Tucker’ McLeish was a well-known face in the Fair City
Investigators spent yesterday working in a Perth city centre flat in which a man died following a suspicious fire.
The victim of Sunday night’s fire has been named locally as 45-year-old Thomas ‘Tucker’ McLeish.
He was a well-known face in the city, having previously been homeless and a frequent beggar on the High Street.
Police have issued an appeal for information after he died in the St Catherine’s Square fire.
They said a 36-year-old man had been arrested. It is understood the fire may have broken out in another man’s flat within the block and police are investigating reports of a loud bang before the blaze was reported.
Friends and neighbours reacted with shock to news of the man’s death, as Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service launched a joint investigation.
One friend said: “It’s raw. I’ve just found out. He was a decent guy and never did me any harm. He was trying really hard to turn his life around and I thought he was doing well.”
Another friend said Mr McLeish, who had been homeless and was known to beg outside Sainsbury’s on the High Street, had been wary of moving into the St Catherine’s Square block.
“He preferred to sleep on the streets,” he said.
“But he was getting older and when the flat came up he decided to take it and had been there for about a year.
“He was quite a quiet guy and didn’t like too many people to know his business. He was secretive like that. But I liked him. We used to talk all the time.”
A neighbour said: “I can’t believe it, I’ve known Tucker and his partner for years and they always used to stop and have a bit of banter with us.
“He was a bit of a Jack the lad, but he was always up for a laugh and he never caused me any bother in the flats.
“I’ve heard people saying that they thought a gas cylinder might have exploded or something, but I’m not really sure what’s happened, to be honest.
“He and Ann Black had been together for a few years and they were inseparable. She must be absolutely devastated by what’s happened to Tucker.”
Mr McLeish’s partner was too upset to comment.
Emergency vehicles rushed to Old High Street after 10pm on Sunday night after smoke was seen rising above the city.
Two fire engines, two fire cars, two ambulances and five police cars attended. The fire services used jets of water to extinguish the fire and evacuated the building.
Paramedics treated Mr McLeish at the scene but were unable to save him.
The St Catherine’s Square complex remained cordoned off yesterday, with at least three officers still in attendance.
Other officers carried out door-todoor inquiries.
Detective Inspector Gavin McKinlay said anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101 or speak to any police officer.
He said: “A joint investigation with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is ongoing, but I can however confirm that the fire is being treated as suspicious.
“I would like to appeal to anyone who was in the area of St Catherine’s Square in Perth just before 10pm yesterday evening and saw anyone acting suspiciously to get in touch with police.”
A Police Scotland spokesman added: “Police Scotland can confirm that a man sadly died as a result of a fire at St Catherine’s Square in Perth on Sunday 18 November.
“He had been within the property when emergency services were called at 9.50pm. The man has yet to be formally identified but his next of kin have been made aware.
“The building was evacuated and no one else was injured.”