Mr Hynie carried out a survey after fireraisers started two blazes in tenement buildings in Lochee Road and Clepington Place yesterday.

He said, “People who dump rubbish and furniture in stairwells are giving fireraisers ammunition. It puts lives at risk.”

A campaign is being launched to highlight the dangers of leaving rubbish and furniture in stairwells after the latest fires left people trapped in their homes.

Tayside Fire and Rescue condemned the actions of fireraisers who started the tenement blazes, just a week after a man died in a similar incident in the city.

ADO Hynie said the consequences of their actions could have been “enormous” and that they were currently being looked at as “wilful fireraising”.

A fire in the close of 152 Lochee Road broke out at around 1:50 pm in a storage cupboard on the ground floor, trapping residents in their flats after combustible waste accelerated the spread of the fire.

One resident had to be evacuated, but was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene and did not require hospital treatment.

There was evidence the tenement had been a target for fireraisers previously.

Just over two hours later, a fire broke out on the ground floor of 6 Clepington Street, where, again, residents were trapped after household waste was left on the stairwells.

The Clepington Road fire was almost a mirror image of the earlier fire in Lochee Road, with both accelerated by combustible waste left in the stairwells.

A young man died when a fire broke out in the ground floor of an Albert Street tenement last week, as the blaze was accelerated by rubbish and household waste left in the close.

ADO Hynie urged people to deal with rubbish that poses a

fire risk, even if it does not belong to them, as it could be the difference between life and death.

Tayside Fire and Rescue have warned residents to ensure large items like old furniture or mattresses are collected by the council, rather than left lying in closes or bin recess areas.

“We are going to be targeting properties in Clepington Street and Lochee Road with a leafleting campaign about the dangers of leaving combustibles in the stairways,” he said.

“It’s a huge problem. I went round tenements in both areas and there is evidence of rubbish being dumped in closes and at the rear of the buildings.

“People are dumping rubbish bags, furniture and beds.

“If people are going to leave debris and combustibles in stairways they are giving fireraisers ammunition, making the tenement an irresistible target.

“It’s not the tenements themselves that are dangerous, but it’s up to people to take responsibility.

“Occupants and landlords, both public and private, have a duty to report it (dumped rubbish) to the council.”

ADO Hynie urged people to ensure they had a clear means of escape.

Fire chiefs revealed there were 59 fires in Tayside last year involving rubbish bins, many in recesses of communal stairwells.

In just under half the recorded incidents over the last year such cases saw members of the public incur damage to their property and, in many cases, lives were put in great danger.

A spokesman for Dundee City Council said there is “no excuse” for anybody to leave bulky items outside tenements.

He added, “The city council organises a special collection service where up to six items can be removed for £6.

“That service can be contacted by calling 01382 432750.”