An urgent clean-up operation has been ordered at the site of a suspicious blaze in Arbroath amid fears that the damage has exposed asbestos.
Emergency services rushed to the block of flats at Fraser Place in the town on Tuesday after smoke was seen billowing out of the four storey building.
Five police officers were in attendance at the block, during the incident, while two others directed traffic on the Westway to allow the Scottish Fire and Rescue tenders to get as close to the building as possible.
Police were conducting door to door inquiries yesterday afternoon while an electrician restored lighting in the communal area of the property.
Staff from Angus Council were also in attendance at the site assessing the damage.
One source has stated that rubbish may have been piled up in the close of the building and set on fire, along with two prams that belong to residents.
None of the properties were damaged, but thick soot coated the walls and windows of the stairwell from the ground floor to the top.
Because of the age of the building, it is feared that the textured coating on the roof of the damaged areas contains white asbestos, a known carcinogen, and this has led council chiefs to order the removal of the debris as soon as possible.
One resident of the block, Peter Mesney, 27 said: “I was at work when a friend called and said that there was a fire in the block.
“I thought he was joking, and phoned my partner who was at home, but because our home is quite far from the stairwell, she was unaware of the blaze, but went to make other neighbours aware of the situation.
“I could hear the sirens on the phone.
“It is shocking that this has happened, especially as there are loads of children around here, and those responsible must know that these are family homes.
Mr Mesney revealed that his three year old daughter Arianne did not want to go out because of the strong smell of burning and the smoke blackened walls.
“This is a nice area, and I haven’t noticed any increase in anti-social behaviour recently, and I hope that those responsible are caught as soon as possible.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that further inquiries are ongoing into the incident.
