A raging fire broke out in an abandoned building in Dundee on Tuesday night.
The fire service were alerted to the fire in the old Forebank House, located on Forebank Road, at around 7.30pm, with the flames finally extinguished by crews at 9.30pm.
Those living nearby had to leave their homes due to the thick smoke billowing from the building.
A Scottish Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said: “The fire service was alerted to a fire in a building on Forebank Road at 7.31pm with the fire extinguished by 9.30pm.
“Fire crews remained at the scene to assess any internal damage to the building.”
Four fire trucks were needed to tackle the blaze with the cause unknown at this stage.
The building is believed to have been disused for at least the last 25 years with various reports of youths involved in anti-social behaviour on the premises.
Nearby residents poured out into the street after smoke infiltrated their homes, with many complaining that it was “only a matter of time” before the building was seriously damaged.
An aerial platform was needed to reach the fire. There were no injuries reported in the incident.
Sam Wheeler, who lives adjacent to Forebank House, said: “At first I thought it was a fire in our house but quickly realised the smoke was coming in from outside.
“Straight away I knew it would be the old building out the back and then I could hear all the tumbling timber.
“Young people are always inside it and only two weeks ago I had to help one boy who had cut himself and another girl who had badly hurt her ankle and needed to go to hospital.
“It was inevitable that something like this would happen and I’ve been on the phone to police three or four times trying to warn them.
“Nothing ever seems to happen though and I don’t think this will be the last time that it’s targeted.”
Another witness, Kathleen Green, said she couldn’t stay in her home because of the smoke.
She said: “The smoke was coming in my house and it was hard to breathe.
“There’s always kids in the building and I think someone has done this on purpose for sure.
“The building never should have been left like this. I knew one day this would happen.”
