Police have launched a probe into a late-night fire at an Aberdeen high-rise.
Emergency services were called to Northsea Court in Seaton at around 11pm on Tuesday evening.
It is understood a sofa, which had been left on an upper-floor landing to be uplifted, caught fire – and a probe is now under way to determine whether it was set alight deliberately.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police are investigating following the report of a fire at Northsea Court in Aberdeen, which was reported around 11pm on Tuesday September 29.
“Anyone with information should contact police by calling 101.”
Local senior officer for Aberdeen City Bruce Farquharson said: “We were alerted at 10.48pm on Tuesday, September 29 to reports of a fire in a communal landing at Northsea Court, Seaton Crescent, Aberdeen.
“We were alerted by the building’s automated alarm system and Operations Control immediately mobilised four appliances and one aerial rescue pump to the scene.
“Firefighters extinguished the fire on the 16th floor of the building and remained on the scene to ensure the area was made safe, reassure residents and give fire safety guidance.
“There were no reported casualties.
“We would like to take this opportunity remind all residents who live in homes where there are communal areas to ensure that these spaces are kept clear of any potential hazards.
“Make sure stairs, landings and corridors are free of obstacles and if you have arranged for items to be taken away, do not leave these in common areas and dispose of all rubbish properly.”
An alert sent to residents by the Seaton Linksfield Community neighbourhood alert scheme shortly after the incident raised concerns alarms did not go off in the building.
However, a spokeswoman for Aberdeen City Council explained alarms in communal areas are not audible – but send an instant signal to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Local councillor Alex McLellan said: “This is obviously very concerning – residents who live in multi-storey blocks must ensure the communal areas are kept clear to prevent incidents like this happening in future.
“I would encourage anyone with any information around how the fire started to contact Police Scotland. ”
Communal areas in high-rise blocks are not fitted with audible alarms to allow the fire service to deal with incidents more effectively.
The policy means firefighters do not have to battle through hundreds of people coming down flights of stairs while trying to reach an incident.
It also minimises disruption to residents in the event of false alarms, which make up the majority of calls to high-rises in the city.
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “We ask all residents in multi-storey buildings not store any items in communal areas including landings, drying rooms, corridors, cupboards or stairwells as they are a fire hazard and can impede firefighters when they are in the building.
“Any items found in these areas will be removed without warning and we would ask residents to support all occupiers by reporting such incidents.
“Our fire and smoke alarms in the multis are directly connected to the fire service to get the firefighters out as quickly as possible and there is not an audible alarm.
“If residents need to dispose of large items they can book a bulky uplift through the City Council website.”
Click here for more information.
