Hilltown fire victim named as Steven Cooney
A Dundee man killed in a horrific early-morning fire has been named as 40-year-old Steven Cooney.
Ferocious flames burst out of the flat.
- By Craig McManamon
- Published in the Courier : 13.01.12
- Published online : 13.01.12 @ 12.56pm
A joint police and fire investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the tragic blaze, which took hold in a top-floor flat in the Hilltown at around 12.30am on Thursday.
Photos taken from outside show the ferocity of the blaze, with large flames bursting from the window.
Firefighters dragged Mr Cooney, who was unconscious, from the burning tenement block. He was taken to waiting ambulance personnel in the street who tried to save him but he was declared dead at the scene.
Station manager Mark Crush said the fire burned so fiercely that it smashed the windows of the flat.
''The flat had a couple of locks on and when we arrived we had to force entry,'' he said. ''We also used the aerial ladder platform to fight the fire from the outside and make sure it didn't spread any further.
''It was very windy and, although we work in all weathers, it was still challenging for the crews.
''The windows broke from the heat and the fire burned through the floor. The damage to the flat was so intensive that it was very difficult to say what might have caused the fire.
''Some of the other flats in the block were occupied but the people were able to evacuate for themselves. Sadly, despite the best efforts of the emergency services the man in the flat perished.''
William Hastie, who owns E. Butchart Jewellers on the bottom floor of the block, paid tribute to Mr Cooney.
He said: ''Steven was a nice guy — a bit of a rogue, but a nice guy. He had lived up the stairs for five years plus. I saw him most days.''
Witnesses said the flames from the fire could be seen from the Clepington Road area of the city.
Tayside Fire and Rescue group manager Martin Tait said: ''Our sympathies go to the family and friends of the deceased and wider community of the Hilltown area."
He added: "We want to make all our communities safe from fire. We therefore would urge that all residents ensure that they have a working smoke alarm which is checked regularly.''
Dundee City Council housing convener Jimmy Black also stressed the importance of fire safety.
He said: ''Fire is always a risk in older Victorian tenements and of course it can be hard to escape from the upper storey of these buildings because there is only one way out, using the main stairwell.
''It's really important that people report any signs of fire as soon as they see them to the emergency service so that they are given the best possible chance.''
Police say they do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire. However, officers want to speak with anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident.
A group of youths were seen near to Hilltown Park and it is possible they witnessed something that could be useful to the inquiry.
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