What happened at 13 Cardean Street in Dundee?

On 26 November 1997 a fire broke out in a multi-occupancy flat at 13 Cardean Street, Dundee. The fire tragically claimed the life of one person.

The building contained eight flats divided by the party wall with one staircase serving each of them. There were no enclosed fire resisting enclosures - the building was more than 100 years old and therefore constructed differently to modern builds.

How did the 13 Cardean Street flat fire start?

The fire was started deliberately. A criminal inquiry led to the arsonist being imprisoned.

At 23:34 the fire was reported and the fire service promptly arrived, mobilising two units. Upon arrival the ground floor flat was on fire and smoke-logged. Following further calls by the public an ambulance was also despatched.

The fire service was aware of one person trapped inside alive and of their location, but tragically they were found dead just one hour following the fire being reported.

What can the industry learn from the 13 Cardean Street flat fire?

Scotland’s Justice Minister called for a special investigation into the death. A fatal accident inquiry condemned the fire brigade for their conduct. Six members of the brigade were disciplined.

Control room staffing deficiencies were addressed with the training strategy severely criticised. This led to competency based training and auditing.

The victim’s family called for the Firemaster to resign.