Perth fatal fire expected to cost council £2.6m
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Streets were closed for months during the demolition of affected buildings
Perth and Kinross Council's response to a fatal Perth fire which led to the eight-month closure of a city centre junction is expected to cost the local authority £2.6m.
A man died and two people, an eight-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, were taken to hospital
following the blaze
in Scott Street last June.
The blaze destroyed several flats as well as The Royal Bar pub.
The final financial costs to the council are expected to be brought before its finance and resources committee in June.
Fifty-five households
had to be rehoused
after damage to the building made neighbouring structures unsafe.
A chihuahua puppy called Vilo
was also rescued from the building after surviving almost two weeks in the burnt-out tenement.
Demolition work, which had to be carried out brick-by-brick,
was completed in December.
The junction
reopened in February.
Demolition work on the building was completed in December
The majority of the council's response costs related to the demolition and reinstatement of the street.
The council's chief financial officer Scott Walker provided the update to councillors on Monday.
He told the committee: "The council has incurred around £2.3m in 2025/26, responding to the incident, with a further £300,000 expected post-April 2026.
"Based on interim invoices issued, insurance recoveries that we're aware of, Scottish Government support and the council's previous commitment, there is no anticipated further impact on the council's unearmarked reserves in 2025/26 arising from the incident."
Story by local democracy reporter Kathryn Anderson
Perth and Kinross Council
Perth