Fire causes 21 to be evacuated from Scottish flats

15th February 2012

The importance of fire safety and a robust protection plan such as block of flats insurance has again been highlighted by recent events in Perth.

Emergence services were called in to help evacuate 21 residents from the property in the Tulloch area of the city after a blaze broke out last week.

"Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus proceeded to ventilate the common stairwell and make contact and reassure families who were trapped in six of the eight flats by the heat and smoke," said Perth Community Fire Service spokesman.

A 26-year-old woman was treated at the scene for the effects of smoke inflation, but everyone else remained unharmed.

The building fared worse with large sections of the property suffering major damage before firefighters managed to extinguish the flames.

Authorities believe that the incident was the result of a pram, which was left in a communal area, being set alight and advised both landlords and residents to keep such areas free from flammable items.

Neil Kerr of Tayside Fire and Rescue Service added: "Recently within Perth and across Tayside we have seen a number of serious fires, often attributable to ignition of items left within insecure common closes and stairwell areas."

However, the dangers of fire are apparent to landlords across the UK.

Large-scale blazes will result in many of the dwellings in a property becoming uninhabitable for a sustained period of time. This will mean that the landlord will lose vital revenue streams as tenants move out and the lack of rental payments could mean that it will be some time before the landlord can afford to repair the building.

Block of flats insurance can mitigate the financial damage of this by providing a prompt influx of cash should the worse occur.

This will allow property owners to quickly renovate their tenants' flats and get cash flows moving once more.

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