| Signs in the close of the Reform Street premises of the Buddhist KSD healthy living centre were set ablaze around 9.15 pm last night while the class was in progress.
Robert Bichan (34) a volunteer for centre was in the class with a female student and raised the alarm.
He said today, “We smelled burning and saw smoke coming under the door. I phoned the fire brigade and when I opened the door there were clouds of smoke. I thought one of the premises was on fire and that it was major.
“We have had trouble with drug abuse here before. There has been vandalism and people sitting on the stairs at night.
“The fire brigade told us later that the signs had been set on fire.”
KSD director Karma Jiga (59) said the Buddhist centre’s signs had been targeted before. He said, “I don’t know whether it’s the organisation or the religion but this is the third time it’s happened in the past few months.
“It’s strange that only our signs seem to have been set on fire.”
The close sustained minor smoke damage but Norrie McDicken (50), owner of the Nori hair salon on the floor below the Buddhist centre was furious at the reckless actions of the fire raisers.
He said, “It’s happened before — it’s junkies. The police have put up signs but they come into the close and take drugs. I don’t know whether it was deliberate or if they were just out of their boxes.
“My concern was not for us because we weren’t here but for the people upstairs. If they hadn’t noticed it they could have been killed. There’s a controlled entrance but it must have been left open.
“Initially I was glad because no one was hurt but the more I think about the more annoyed I am. All the shopkeepers are really concerned about the junkies in the city centre — it’s just horrible.”
Station Manager Mark Crush of Tayside Fire and Rescue said even small fires such as the one in Reform Street had the potential for loss of life.
He said the advertising sign that had been set on fire was made of a foam substance that gave off a highly acrid smoke when burned.
He said, “Even though the fire was small, due to the type of material involved it created quite a lot of smoke and that all went to the top of the stairwell and accumulated there. It is quite possible it could have overcome someone and led to a loss of life.”
He continued, "Somebody setting fire to a sign may seem like high jinks to one person but it could result in the loss of life. It was ill advised and if it was a deliberate act then it is a criminal act.”
Station Manager Crush said it was vital people living or working in tenement blocks ensured the common parts were kept free of obstructions to ensure they had the best possible chance of escape in the event of a fire.
He said, “The stairwell is your escape route and so you need to keep it free from any type of flammable material, keep it free of obstruction, have lighting and if it is susceptible to any kind of mischief like last night then you need to keep it secure as well.
“This goes hand in hand with having a working smoke alarm and an escape plan.” |
