More than 70 people fled for their lives when fire tore through a Dundee scrapyard and spread to a block of flats on May 9 2010.
A blanket of thick smoke engulfed the Hilltown.
The blaze started in a pile of scrapped cars and old skips at the Henderson Kerr site in Paterson Street but large flames spread to neighbouring properties.
Six homes were completely destroyed.
The blaze would rank as one of the city’s worst.
How the drama unfolded
The alarm was raised around 4.45pm and a group of youths were seen running away from the scene shortly before the blaze took hold.
Tayside Fire Brigade’s telephone lines were jammed as people from across Dundee attempted to report the blaze, which could be seen for miles.
A huge crowd of people gathered in the street to watch as 50 firefighters fought a losing battle to contain the raging flames which spread rapidly in all directions.
There was no time to turn the tide.
Gasps of disbelief were heard when the fire swept through a neighbouring terrace of new-build properties at Scott Court and over 70 people were evacuated by police.
They had to watch in horror as their homes were devoured by the flames.
Some people lost everything in the fire.
The Hillcrest and council town houses destroyed in the blaze were part of a £4.2 million scheme to transform the former Lawside Works into low cost rented accommodation.
Tayside Fire and Rescue’s head of community safety, Kenneth Fraser, said the fire had been an extremely challenging blaze to tackle.
“It was quite a dangerous situation, but obviously the mechanisms we had in place served us well and the fire was extinguished and no one was injured,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there has been fire spread to domestic properties to the rear of the property where the fire began.”
By 10pm the area was still cordoned off and many residents made homeless by the blaze spent the night with friends and family members while Hillcrest Housing, aided by Dundee City Council, arranged for others to be put up in hotels around the city.
Devastated residents returned the following morning to assess the damage after what for many had been a sleepless night.
One clearly shaken 18-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “We’ve lost everything. The fire just ripped through the bedroom and we had to stay with pals last night but I didn’t sleep at all. I’m in shock.
“We lost all my gran’s stuff we got when she died.”
Blaze ‘could have been fatal’
By 3pm, firefighters allowed some residents to return home while others were merely escorted in to pack a suitcase of clothes to last a week.
Caroline Spalding, from one of the worst affected homes, said: “I was back and forward all day trying to get stuff but it will be six to eight months before I’m back again.
“I got in today with the fire brigade and everything’s just smoke-damaged.
“When I lifted my slippers they left dirty footprints.”
James Yule was more fortunate and able to return home after firefighters gave his house the all clear.
“It could have been worse,” he said.
“The firemen said if this had happened at night it could have been bodies they were pulling out instead of people’s belongings.”
Hillcrest director of housing Fiona Morrison said: “We’re going to give people still in the hotels emergency money as a goodwill payment until their insurance kicks in because there are people there with only the clothes they stand up in.”
Hillcrest has also been covering the cost of displaced tenants’ meals while they are forced to stay in the hotels and encouraged them to keep all their receipts.
Hillcrest said six houses at Scott Court would have to be rebuilt after they were completely gutted in the inferno, while another was badly damaged by smoke.
The housing authority started to rehome some of the tenants for those whose homes were deemed uninhabitable and estimated the repair bill would total at least £500,000.
Police began search for youths
Officers were reviewing CCTV tapes from the area and appealed to the public to come forward with any information about the four boys spotted running from the site.
The scrapyard had been closed at the time of the blaze and the joint fire investigation board was treating the blaze as “suspicious”.
Detective Constable Simon Murray said it was vital to trace the foursome spotted heading north from the yard in the direction of Strathmore Avenue around 4.45pm.
They were also attempting to trace another boy, aged around 11, who was seen in the area around the time of the fire.
He said: “We are following several positive lines of inquiry but are still looking to identify the four young boys seen running away at the time of the fire. We are also trying to identify the 11-year-old hooded boy seen in the area.”
“We are still keen to speak to anyone who may have been in the area at the time before the fire was discovered or as it took hold.
“We have still got quite a bit of CCTV to look at and we may consider widening the CCTV area we are looking at.
“As a part of our investigation, inquiry officers have made contact with staff at local schools to make them aware of the incident, so they in turn can bring it to the attention of pupils.
“Our community liaison officers visit those schools during the course of this week.”
Police made a breakthrough
Among those staying at the Premier Inn at Camperdown was mother-of-three Mychelle Lauder who said she lost “everything” when the inferno ripped through her home.
In her 10-year-old son Logan’s case, that included a pair of tickets to the Scottish Cup final at Hampden, where Dundee United were playing Ross County on May 15 2010.
The Evening Telegraph got in touch with the SFA after speaking to Mychelle who agreed to replace Logan’s tickets and he watched the Tangerines win the game 3-0.
Logan, his sister and his pals were invited to the Tannadice boardroom to see the trophy which made for an enjoyable end to a highly eventful and dramatic few days.
Asked if he wanted to play football himself, he said he wanted to start out at Tannadice, then play for Manchester United and then famous European names such as Inter Milan.
And then there was a breakthrough when two 13-year-old boys were cautioned and charged in connection with the fire and a report was sent to the procurator fiscal.
Seven families were still living out of their suitcases in temporary accommodation almost two weeks after the fire and it would be months before they could return home.
What happened on May 9 2010 would live long in the memory.
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