A fire service boss working during the massive blaze at former Dundee furniture shop Robertson’s says the building’s remains could collapse due to extensive damage.
Serge Kabamba, Blackness Road fire station’s commander, said only the four outside walls remain, with every other part of the art-deco building completely destroyed.
The blaze on Barrack Street started at around 6pm on Saturday and quickly tore through the former shop, which has been empty for a number of years.
At its peak 50 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
Nobody was injured but firefighters, including specialist teams, remained on the scene until Monday afternoon.
Helping lead them was Mr Kabamba, who said demolition is likely as the remaining walls are showing “potential signs of collapse”.
He said: “The building itself has been completely destroyed by the fire.
“Partitions and terminal flooring is no longer there, it is essentially just the four walls around the outside of the building that remain standing.
“However, they are in a dangerous condition and are showing potential signs of collapse.”
He added the final decision on demolition will be made by Dundee City Council.
Crews from across region battled Robertson’s blaze
Mr Kabamba said it was one of the biggest fires in Dundee in recent years but the public was never at risk.
“It was a large incident that we attended, however we were able to draw resources from across the area in order to ensure it was adequately staffed and fire cover ensured around the surrounding areas,” he said.
“It was one of the largest fires we’ve seen in Dundee in recent times.
“The building itself is stand-alone. That allowed us to focus on directly preventing any further fire spread using that distance.
“At no time were members of public in any danger.
“The initial crews acted quickly to prevent anyone from entering the hazard area and the fire was extinguished as quickly as possible.”
On Sunday police confirmed the fire is being treated as deliberate, saying officers are pursuing a number of potential leads.
Mr Kabamba said the exact cause of the blaze is not yet known but the building has not previously been a target for firebugs.
He said: “The site itself hasn’t had a history of any deliberate fires being set and it has been relatively secure.
“However, it is a building that we were aware of being vacant and its size would also pose a significant risk if it was to go on fire.”
Conversation