Planners in charge of a former city hospital today revealed people have used chisels, masonry drills — and even sledge hammers — to get into the building.
Robert Evans, of planning firm Muir Smith Evans, spoke to the Tele about his concerns about security at the Strathmartine Hospital’s main administration building after a fire at the site.
The Edinburgh-based firm is awaiting a report from Scottish Fire and Rescue to know the full extent of the damage from Wednesday’s fire.
The company will then deploy a structural engineer to analyse the listed building.
Mr Evans also added there is regular security patrolling the site.
But despite the ongoing security presence, Mr Evans said people were “hell-bent” on getting into the building.
He explained: “The listed building is continually being secured and checked by security on a regular basis.
“But people who want to enter the building have gone to great lengths to gain access.
“Breeze blocks have been installed to stop people entering, but they have been kicked in.
“Things like sledge hammers, chisels and even a masonry drill have been found on the site, which people have used to get into the listed building.
“Some people seem to be hell-bent on getting into the building.
“The site covers a large area so if people are committed to trespassing they will.
“They are clearly not thinking about how dangerous gaining access to the building is.”
Karen McAulay, a preservation campaigner for the hospital, said: “It’s the listed part of the hospital which was targeted and when it was said the timbers of the building were alight it did concern me.
“The internal structures were already shot anyway but if the fire damaged the roof structure further, the whole building is going to be even more unstable.
“The building is already very dangerous and I feel with this extra damage, people who try to trespass at the building in the future will be risking their lives.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We attended at the derelict building of Strathmartine Hospital, at about 8pm on Wednesday, following a report of a fire in the roof space.
“There are no identified suspicious circumstances and the fire was extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”
A spokeswoman for Scottish Fire and Rescue confirmed they attended a fire in the roof space of the derelict building at 7.58pm.
She added that the attending crews used two jets and a hose reel to extinguish the blaze then stayed at the scene until 9.30pm.