Father urges flat deaths action

Lucy and Sandy Fraser may take legal action

The father of a young man killed in a fire at a Glasgow flat, is calling for legal action to be taken against the landlord.

Alexander Fraser, 46, from Stirlingshire, said he wanted to find out if any further legal action could be taken against Herpel Singh.

His son James and his friend Daniel Heron, both 20, were killed in the fire on 4 March 1999, just five days after they rented the flat in Melrose Street, Woodlands

Mr Fraser's comments were made after Sheriff Charles McFarlane, in his determinations to a fatal accident inquiry, criticised conditions in the flat and the quality and reliability of Mr Singh's evidence.

James Fraser was killed in the fire

Speaking at the end of the inquiry in Glasgow Sheriff Court, Mr Fraser said: "I have yet to read the Sheriff's report in full, but it seems to me to be a very detailed document.

"What interests me is when Sheriff McFarlane is quoted as saying that as a witness Mr Singh's evidence was at times incredible, unreliable and frequently evasive.

"I would like to know if any further action can be taken against him in relation to that."

During the fatal accident inquiry, the flat which caught fire killing two young men was condemned as "a potential death trap" that should never have been let.

One survivor

Sheriff Charles McFarlane, concluded that the means of escape from the Glasgow flat were "entirely unsatisfactory and inadequate in the event of a fire".

He also said that if properly operating smoke detectors had been installed in the flat, owned by landlord Herpel Singh, the two men might not have died.

Landlord Herpel Singh

Christopher Lewis, a school friend of the two who died, was the only survivor of the fire.

Mr Lewis, 21, who was pulled to safety by firefighters, had told the four-day inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court there was no fire alarm fitted in the property.

The inquiry also found there were no fire resistant doors, there were metal bars outside all the windows and that the electrical system was "substandard and potentially dangerous".

In his report, Sheriff McFarlane said: "I considered that the flat was a potential death trap in the event of a fire.

"In my opinion the flat should never have been let out by Mr Singh to the three young men in the condition it was in."

Mr Singh told the inquiry that he owned 14 properties throughout the city, most of which were rented to students.

Dismantled smoke alarm

He said he made £30,000 a year from tenants in the building where the fire happened.

Quizzed about smoke alarms Mr Singh had been adamant that there were two in the flat - one lying on top of a freezer in the kitchen, and the other on the hall ceiling.

Bars blocked the windows

He said both were in working order and fitted with batteries and that he tested them before the boys went into the flat.

The inquiry had heard that a dismantled smoke alarm was found on the premises by firefighters, and the windows were barred.

The body of Mr Fraser, a student from Balmaha, in Stirlingshire, was found in the kitchen, just feet away from the smoke detector.

His friend, Mr Heron, a bank employee from Kippen, Stirlingshire, was found in the back bedroom.

Mr Lewis, 21, a waiter, escaped death because he had decided to sleep in the living room.

Fire officer Mark Stockton told the inquiry: "The smoke alarm was not fixed properly to a wall or ceiling. It was not in working order.

"It had no batteries. It was dismantled."

Wiring fear

He also revealed that an oxygen cylinder used for welding was found in the flat and that the staircase was blocked by rubble.

Mr Lewis told the hearing that when he had moved in, he had found electrical wiring across the flat's ceiling and scaffolding stored in cupboards.

He also told the inquiry Mr Singh had said they would be sharing the electricity supply with their neighbours.

"We were going to see Mr Singh about the electricity. We were worried about how it would all work."