The First Minister looked sombre walking down Perth’s deserted Scott Street on Tuesday, just days after a devastating fire that left one man dead and others injured.
Emergency services were called to the city’s Scott Street at around 1.50am on Saturday after officers spotted the fire, which had taken hold of a four-storey residential building.
The “ferocious” fire left one man dead and others injured, including an eight-year-old girl.
However John Swinney said the situation could have been much worse without the “amazing effort of recovery” by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
STV News“I think many more people could have lost their lives had it not been for the scale of the fire and rescue response, and I’m full of admiration for our emergency personnel for all they have done,” Swinney told STV News.
“What’s clear to me is that the ferocity of this incident was a grave threat to human life, and the scale of the response from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been exemplary.”
Walking down Scott Street, which has been cordoned off and closed to traffic for safety, the First Minister offered his condolences to the family of the man who lost his life in the blaze.
“I’m terribly sorry for his family and loved ones for the loss they’ve suffered,” he said.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service arrived on Scott Street within four minutes of the call coming in on Saturday morning.
Firefighters immediately deployed ladders and a height appliance, and began rescuing people from windows and from the roof.
SFRS assistant chief officer David Farries said it was a “really rapidly developing fire” that crews were faced with when they arrived on scene.
STV News“In those really early stages, there were a lot of rescues to be made. The crews immediately deployed ladders and height appliances and rescued casualties from the building,” he said.
He said that as firefighters battled the blaze, masonry was falling from the building.
“Two firefighters were struck by falling masonry,” Mr Farries said.
“They’re on the road to recovery.”
‘It’s very obvious the building is highly dangerous’
Surveying the site on Tuesday morning, the First Minister said: “It’s very obvious from looking at the site that it’s highly dangerous.”
Although the fire has been extinguished, disruption is set to continue in the city centre for some time to come.
On Monday, it was announced that the building was “unsafe” and “no part of it is salvageable”.
Engineers said it will require complete demolition, which is estimated to take around 24 weeks.
STV NewsThe ongoing disruption will mean nearby residents will have to remain in temporary accommodation, and businesses will remain closed until it’s deemed safe to return.
“The building affected by the fire is quite literally going to have to be dismantled brick by brick, and that’s going to take time,” Swinney said.
“There will disruptions for businesses and householders. The Scottish Government will work closely with Perth and Kinross Council on working through the challenges to make sure whatever support can be available is available to assist recovery in the heart of the city of Perth.”
‘I can’t afford to close my business’
Scott Street business owner Thuong Vo is extremely concerned about his livelihood in the aftermath of the blaze.
His Nails Icon business is one of those that have been closed for the foreseeable future, and on Tuesday morning it remained behind the Scott Street safety cordon.
“I’m panicking, I’m very worried,” Mr Vo said.
“I have a baby [that’s] only two months, I need to pay rent, pay food, business, its very big money.”
STV NewsHe added: “If I close [my business], I couldn’t afford money to pay rent and finance and everything.”
However, the deputy leader of Perth and Kinross Council Eric Drysdale told STV News that some sort of financial support is on the way for impacted businesses.
“The council will do all we can. We’re meeting tomorrow and next week to determine how much we can put into the pot, and we’re having discussions with the Scottish Government as well,” he said.
“The nature of that [financial support] will depend on the amount of money we have and how we can do it.”
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