By Lynne Stewart and Alan Wilson

A man died and another is in a critical condition after a major blaze in Stobswell, Dundee, at the weekend.

The injured man jumped from the fourth storey of a tenement as fire swept through it shortly after midnight on Saturday night.

The horrifying leap was witnessed by residents and passers-by who had heard a series of loud bangs.

Police have mounted a major operation around the tenement at 7 Albert Street in an attempt to find the cause of the blaze, in the block above the Guitar Centre shop.

Last night, almost 24 hours after the outbreak, forensic officers were still combing the scene, while their colleagues continued house-to-house inquiries.

A section of Albert Street from the junction with Arbroath Road to Lyon Street was still cordoned off and officers were stopping cars and non-residents from entering the area.

Police have so far not released the names of either of the men.

They said, until the forensic investigation is complete, they are unable to say whether there are any suspicious circumstances.

The injured man was taken by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital where he is being treated in the intensive care unit.

Once the blaze was extinguished, a search of the building by firefighters led to the discovery of the body in a fourth-floor flat.

Two other adults and two young children escaped when firefighters pulled them from a first-floor window.

One woman was kept in hospital overnight for observation.

Four other people had also managed to escape the flames before firefighters arrived.

As the fire raged, a woman in a neighbouring flat heard screams, then several loud noises.

William Dowie, who was working in the Windsor Bar opposite, said his daughter-in-law Alana McGill, who lives in the neighbouring block, heard “a couple of bangs, like explosions” and saw the man jump.

The drama was captured on film by a man in his home on the opposite side of Albert Street.

Tayside Police, who are conducting a joint investigation with Tayside Fire and Rescue, appealed for witnesses.

Detective Chief Inspector Ewen West, head of CID in Dundee, said police are investigating a number of possibilities on the cause of the fire.

He stressed it was too early to say if it was suspicious.

“One person has died and another person was injured and there is serious concern for his future,” said DCI West.

“We are looking for anybody who saw anything suspicious occurring in that close from Saturday afternoon onwards, right up to the time when the fire was discovered at five past midnight.

“Anybody who saw anything that was out of the ordinary—suspicious people or suspicious actions—should contact us immediately.

“The second thing is there was a lot of people here at the time of the fire.

“Cars were stopping in the street and I need all these people to come forward.

“I also believe there was somebody who tried to get into the close to assist and we need to speak to that person.

“It is a major investigation and as such we are keen to speak to as many people as possible who were in the area last night, as they could have information vital to our inquiries.

Mr West continued, “Given that it was late on Saturday night into early Sunday morning, there were a large number of people in the area.

“Some people came out of the nearby pub, The Cask, and some offered assistance at the scene, where the seriously injured man was discovered.”

Officers are keen to talk to anyone in the area before or after the fire.

“However insignificant they might feel their information is, it could prove to be invaluable to our investigation and I would urge them to come forward.”

Mr West said the scale of the investigation was normal considering there had been a fatality.

“At the moment we don’t know what the cause of the fire is. The options are open at the moment.

“We will be using forensics, CCTV and conducting door-to-door inquiries to build up a picture of what happened.”

Tayside Fire and Rescue sent three appliances—two from Kingsway and another from Blackness Road—to the scene.

A further appliance from Blackness was then requested due to the severity of the blaze.

Divisional Officer Dave Boyle said, “The fire involved the whole tenement block and staircase.

“When we arrived four people had escaped via windows.

“We rescued another four people, three with the aerial appliance and one with ladders.

“We searched the building and found a body.

“The flats on each side of the block were searched and checked for smoke and where people were safe they were allowed to stay in their own houses.”

Anyone with information should contact Dundee 01382 223200.