A farmer has offered a four-figure reward for information about a suspicious fire that caused more than £160,000 of damage.
James Ellis and his son Neil rushed into a burning barn to rescue their herd of cattle, but could do nothing to save 2,000 bales of hay from the flames.
A tractor that went missing was later found ablaze two miles away.
The blaze, at Drumdurno Farm at Chapel of Garioch, near Pitcaple, was so bad that firefighters told the pair they would not have gone into the building if they had arrived first.
Now, two months on, the family are offering a reward of £1,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.
Mr Ellis, who has farmed in the area all his life, said it would be worth it to see the culprits brought to justice.
“What’s another £1,000 on top of everything else we’ve lost?” he said.
“It’s about £160,000 of damage, and that’s not including the bales we lost. There were 2,000 bales at £40 a piece. It’s a whole year’s work gone.
“People have been really good at rallying around, but hay costs a fortune and they don’t know what they have to spare.” Mr Ellis’s daughter, Shona Christie, added: “We’re at a loss. We’ve got no leads so we want to put up a reward for information that leads to the person getting caught.”
The fire broke out at about 3.40am on Monday, January 6.
Almost 40 firefighters worked for three hours to bring the flames under control.
Speaking about the night of the blaze for the first time, Mr Ellis said: “We live half a mile down the road, so it was the guy across the road who raised the alarm. His dog barked so he looked out the window and it was aglow.
“He phoned me and I phoned Neil and we headed straight up and managed to get the cattle out of the shed.”
The pair saved all 130 beasts, then set about retrieving machinery until the firefighters arrived.
“I kept asking where one of the tractors and the feed trailer was, as I couldn’t find it,” said Mr Ellis, 64.
A few hours later, a dog-walker discovered the vehicle ablaze at the Bennachie Visitor Centre, nearly two miles away. It had been driven into a pile of logs before being set on fire.
Yesterday, its burned-out shell sat in the farmyard in front of the large shed, alongside several other destroyed vehicles.
Large holes dot the building’s corrugated iron roof but the cattle have been safely rehoused in the undamaged middle section.
Mrs Christie, who stood helplessly with her mother Anna as the drama unfolded, said: “It was like we were standing looking at something out of a film. I couldn’t believe it was happening. The fire brigade told us they wouldn’t have been allowed into the building if they’d got there before dad did.
“They would just have had to try and contain it and there would have been a lot more damage. The whole lot would have been gone.
“What kind of people can do this, especially when there are live animals in there?”
Mr Ellis said a red Subaru had been spotted in the yard about 2am on the morning after the fire, but police had not been able to trace it.
The family who are now installing CCTV at the yard believe at least two people must have been involved and that one of them would have known how to drive a tractor.
Mrs Christie said: “I just keep thinking about it, and your mind plays tricks on you.
“Had they been here before? Had they sussed the place out? What if they come back?
“It would give us closure if we managed to catch whoever did this, so hopefully the reward will encourage someone to come forward.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said last night: “We are treating this matter as suspicious and inquiries are continuing.. We would appeal for any witnesses or anyone who may have information to contact us on 101.”