House is torched twice in 2 months

Published 26 Aug 2010 09:30

By Ewan McInnes and Jennifer Cauley

FEARS are rising that someone could be killed within a Barrhead house after it was torched for the SECOND time in two months.

Two fire engines and a specialist high reach appliance attended the blaze in Waulkmill Avenue on Sunday night at around 11.20pm.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus battled the flames with hose rail jets which at their peak reached 30ft feet above the building.

Caked in smoke, the roof of the abandoned council property was completely ruined by the inferno and neighbouring houses had their electricity turned off as a precaution.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated by police.

And concerned residents are up in arms as the property had been targeted by firebugs only six weeks previously.

Catherine Drummond, who lives directly across the road from the house, is furious the house was not secured properly despite the fact vandals had already attempted to raze it to the ground.

She said: “I was coming home in a taxi on Sunday night and smoke was coming out the shutters which board up the house.

“The flames were 25 feet to 30 feet above the chimney. I thought the whole roof was going to cave in and we were concerned that someone was inside when the firemen couldn’t get in - it was scary.

“If someone had been trapped in there they would have died.

“If something isn’t done about it someone is going to lose their life in that building.

“If it’s not a child then it’s going to be a fireman.

“We are constantly on guard because we don’t know when it will next go up in flames.”

Catherine added: “We are concerned for the children and people are really concerned that it keeps happening.

“The fire five or six weeks ago should have been a warning to the council as to how easy it is for vandals to get in there.”

East Renfrewshire Council chiefs say it will take a lot of work to fix the derelict house, which no one has lived in for three years.

Currently undergoing maintenance to make it more attractive to potential residents, the boarded­-up house is secured with metal shutters on the windows because of previous attacks.

Police and fire bosses were called out to the address on July 11 this year after residents spotted flames coming from the windows. Several fire engines attended the scene, although police later confirmed that the attack was not being treated as criminal.

Commenting on Sunday’s fire, a housing spokesman for East Renfrewshire Council said: “This property had been empty for three years as there had been no interest in it.

“But we had recently spent a lot of money doing up the house to make it more attractive to a potential tenant. We are extremely disgusted this has occurred as this would have made a really nice home for someone.

“In fact we had a tenant due to be signed up to move into the house.”

He added: “The property was secure with metal shuttering on the windows but if someone is desperate enough to want to cause serious damage they will find a way to force even the most robust security measures.

“We are investigating the damage that has been done to the property and a loss adjuster will be going out this week to make a report.”

Strathclyde Police were unable to confirm whether the recent damage on August 22 was a result of wilful fire raising.

A spokesman said: “We received a call on Sunday regarding a fire in an empty house in Waulkmill Avenue.

“We are still trying to establish whether it is criminal or accidental.”

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This article appeared in Barrhead News 25 Aug 10

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