Photos show aftermath of Kintore industrial estate fire that left man in hospital

Photos have revealed the aftermath of a major fire on an industrial estate in Kintore.

Emergency services spent several hours at the scene of the blaze on Midmill Industrial Estate on Saturday.

A man was taken to hospital following the fire, but his condition is not known.

The building is occupied by eBlast – a specialist surface preparation firm that provides coatings to the oil and gas industry.

The company was established in 1999 and its facility is described as “one of the largest of its kind in Scotland”.

The cause of Saturday’s fire has not been confirmed but police say it is not thought to be suspicious.

Photos taken by The P&J on Sunday showed large areas of the outside of the building have been left scorched by the blaze.

The inside of the building also appeared to have been badly damaged.

Nearby Garioch Gymnastics was open on Saturday while the fire took place.

‘The smoke was a little too close for comfort’

Club manager Janine Robertson was told about the blaze by one of her staff members.

She says the worker described the smoke as “toxic-looking”, however, it was blowing in the opposite direction.

She said: “We had classes running all day so we kept our windows and doors closed as the smoke was a little too close for comfort, but it didn’t affect classes.”

She said it was the first incident like this in her five years of running the club.

Meanwhile, a worker at a nearby shop said black smoke had been visible throughout most of the day.

The P&J’s reporter Ross Hempseed, who visited the scene on Sunday, said: “There is quite a bit of damage to both the inside and outside of the building.

“Thankfully, it appears the fire was contained to this one site.

“There is still a burnt smell lingering in the air.

“Two workers wearing high-vis vests were wandering around the building as though they were inspecting the damage.

“The industrial estate is largely deserted otherwise, with most businesses shut for the weekend, though several cars have driven down the dead-end road – perhaps to get a look at the scene.

“It is unclear how the fire will affect the company and its staff returning to work on Monday.”

The P&J has approached eBlast for comment.