11 yo girl and 6 others saved from blaze
Published: September 8, 2003
Residents in an Aberdeen tenement were forced to flee their homes on Saturday after fireraisers set the building’s basement alight.
Seven people had to be rescued from the flats at Merkland Road East by firefighters, including an 11-year-old girl who was found cowering under a bed.
The youngster was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary suffering from smoke inhalation but her condition is not thought to be serious.
The residents, later joined by others who had not been at home at the time, spent the night at Linksfield Academy which was turned into a makeshift home while firefighters worked through the night.
Yesterday, fire chiefs condemned the fireraisers and warned the blaze could have resulted in tragedy.
Grampian Fire Brigade Divisional Officer Brian McEwan said: “Most definitely, there was the potential for the loss of life. If this fire had been started at night when people were sleeping, the alarm would not have been raised.
“There was no smoke detection in the communal hall, and the fire had spread up from the basement up the stairs like a chimney, cutting off the only escape route.
“As it was, we had to rescue residents from the building, including one child hiding under a bed. There was a serious potential for the loss of life from this fire which we believe was started maliciously.”
He added that the front and back door to the communal hall had been left unlocked - and discarded rubbish and furniture, which had been used to start the blaze, had been left lying around.
He said: “It is important that people fit smoke alarms, leave premises secured and do not leave material lying about which could be used to start a fire.”
The alarm was raised shortly before 5.30pm.
Firefighters arriving at the scene found residents at their windows trying to escape the smoke and heat.
They had to be brought down by ladder.
Teams with breathing apparatus had to rescue others who had become trapped in their homes, including the young girl. Three dogs and two cats were also rescued, but one of the cats did not survive.
Twenty-two firefighters tackled the blaze in the three-storey building, bringing it under control in just over 30 minutes. But crews had to remain on scene through the night to cut away damaged walls and check for hotspots.
All the flats were left badly damaged by the blaze and residents have been relocated to stay with relatives and friends.
Linksfield Academy was set up as a Rest Centre by Aberdeen City Council Emergency Planning Department.
Grampian Fire Brigade is nowcarrying out a joint investigation with Grampian Police.
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