The lead investigator into the fire which razed to the ground the popular Hilltown Indoor Market said he saw nothing to suggest it could have started accidentally.
Christopher McKenzie-Robertson, 23, is on trial accused of setting a sofa ablaze at the site, with the fire taking hold of the market and Fit4Less gym next door on September 12 2018.
More than £2.5 million of damage was caused when the building, a former supermarket, went up.
The inferno took more than 24 hours to extinguish, with more than 60 firefighters involved.
McKenzie-Robertson – 19 at the time – denies setting fire to the sofa at an entrance to the market and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Clean burn
Mark McDevitt, 51, a watch commander with 21 years firefighting experience, led the inquiry into how the fire started.
He told Dundee Sheriff Court the site could not be accessed until two days after the blaze because of the structural integrity of the building.
Initially, all they could do was take pictures from an aerial platform.
He said: “After I was able to get inside, I could see the damage was so severe (the building) had to be pulled down.
“There was a ‘clean burn’ on the wall.
“These are generally where an object has been set on fire.”
Mr McDevitt explained a clean burn is so powerful it burns any soot, leaving a clear marker.
He said: “In my opinion, it was most likely a deliberate act, caused by a naked flame coming into contact with flammable material.”
He agreed this could have been a sofa.
Under cross-examination by Jonathan Crowe KC, defence agent for McKenzie-Robertson, Mr McDevitt was asked if it could have been accidental.
He responded: “I concluded the point of ignition was the clean burn.
“I did not see anything to suggest it could be accidental.”
Missed calls
Retired detective constable Scott Heron, 57, was in charge of the investigation which examined phone evidence.
He agreed he, or the forensic analysis officers, uncovered messages between McKenzie-Robertson and Kai Walker, 20, who had been recorded on CCTV with the accused on the day of the fire but is accused of nothing.
Saved as “Spastic4Eyed” on Mr Walker’s phone, McKenzie-Robertson sent a number of messages to him in the days after the fire.
These included: “Kai, it is about the Market. F*****g answer your phone, you spaz.
“Stop rubbering and answer. MATE ANSWER YOUR PHONE.
“YOUR A WEE GIRL.
“PRETTY SURE WE’VE BEEN CAUGHT… ALL OF US ARE GETTING LIFTED.”
The former police officer then confirmed there were as many as 17 missed calls from the accused to Mr Walker in the days following the fire.
Charges
McKenzie-Robertson, of Adamson Court, Dundee, denies, while acting with others, wilfully setting fire to a couch, which took effect and caused extensive damage to premises and contents, significant disruption to patrons and staff through evacuation and a potential risk to injury and danger to life on September 12 2018 at Hilltown Indoor Market and Fit4Less Gym, Main Street.
There is an alternative charge, alleging he culpably and recklessly set fire to the couch, causing the same.
He is further accused of discussing destroying clothes he was wearing at the time of the alleged fireraising, conscious of his guilt, and discussing giving a false account to police of his whereabouts, in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice, on the same date on Brown Street, Britannia Drive and elsewhere.
The trial, before Sheriff Mark Thorley, continues.
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