RESIDENTS OF the Kirkton area of Dundee were allowed to return to their homes yesterday—almost a full day after being evacuated because of fears of a deadly explosion.

They had been forced to flee their homes just after 7pm on Wednesday after an acetylene cylinder was found in a shed that had burned down.

All of the homes within 200m of the shed were evacuated in case the cylinder exploded.

Firefighters kept a hose trained on the cylinder for the next 22 hours to keep its temperature down and, finally, just before 5pm, they were satisfied the danger had passed and allowed residents of the 74 evacuated properties back inside. Four families had to be found overnight accommodation on Wednesday.

The acetylene cylinder was found in a shed in the garden of a vacant house at 80 Beauly Avenue.

Tayside Fire and Rescue are still investigating the cause of the blaze.

Station manager Ron Massie said the British Oxygen Company had manufactured the cylinder and that it had sent a representative to Dundee to collect it.

“There were also a couple of other cylinders, including a propane one, in the shed and they have been uplifted by Dundee City Council,” he said.

Acetylene is a highly flammable gas, mostly used in welding. Once cylinders are heated they can continue to decompose. If this happens, a devastating explosion can occur and the cylinder can be fired like a missile through brick walls.

“I would assume that the cylinders had been used by somebody who had been working on cars,” added Mr Massie, who said the incident had caused inconvenience for residents and work for the emergency services but that everyone was pleased it had concluded without serious harm being done.

While life returned to normal in Beauly Avenue last night, the area’s councillor said the law has to be changed to ban acetylene cylinders from being stored in residential areas in order to prevent a repeat of such an incident.

Councillor Rikki Beattie said, “To have an acetylene cylinder in a residential area is just ridiculous. An overheated cylinder is, in effect, an unexploded bomb.”