Firefighters have been battling into the early hours of this morning to tackle a serious blaze in the centre of Dundee.
Crews from Perth and Fife were summoned to help teams from Tayside Fire and Rescue in Dundee to battle the outbreak in a five-storey tenement block at 14 Garland Place.
The flames were so severe that the blaze spread to No 12, and firefighters were withdrawn from No 14 to concentrate efforts on defending the second block.
Several people were evacuated from the blazing building as the firefighters trained hose reels on the flames.
The residents were offered temporary accommodation by Dundee City Council, assisted by the Salvation Army and the Red Cross.
In a bulletin after midnight, a spokeswoman for the fire service said all of the residents were accounted for but it was likely the crews would be at the scene for some time.
Two residents suffered smoke inhalation and one member of the emergency services injured a shoulder. However, none of the injuries are considered life threatening.
Chief Inspector Sandy Brodie said: “This was very much a co-ordinated team approach with staff from all three emergency services and Dundee City Council involved. All those involved worked tirelessly throughout the night to ensure the safety of the public and protect property as far as reasonably practicable.Click here for a full photo gallery“The cordon will remain on until such times as investigations are complete and it is deemed safe for members of the public to return to the area. I would like to take this opportunity in advance to thank members of the public for their patience during this period.”
The alarm at No 14, the block at the west end of the row of tenements, was raised shortly before 11.30pm with reports of a fire in the close. The flames spread quickly up the building and ignited the roofspace.
Crews in aerial platforms trained water jets on the top of the building from Garland Place on the north side and Parker Street on the south in a desperate effort to stop the outbreak from spreading to the adjoining tenements to the east.
The surrounding streets were closed as the firefighters tackled the blaze.
The tenements in Garland Place overlook the city centre and the flames were visible against the night sky over a wide part of central Dundee.
The fire service spokeswoman said the first crews to arrive immediately called for backup when they saw the severity of the outbreak and the potential for serious damage to the building and the risk to the lives of the residents.
Units from Perth and Fife were despatched to allow crews in aerial platforms to train jets on the flames from both sides of the building.
About 12.45am it was reported that the fire had spread along the roofspace to No 12, and the firefighters that had been inside the first block were ordered out to concentrate efforts to tacking the fire in No 12.
Six crews engaged in the operation, and they were prepared for a long night tackling the blaze.
Mr Brodie added: “At the moment we will retain an open mind about the potential cause of the fire. As in every case of a fire of this nature a joint investigation will take place to try to establish how the fire started.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222.See further coverage in this morning’s Courier, including witness reports from residents at the scene