Investigators have concluded there were no suspicious circumstances about a fire which tore through a north-east bowling alley.
Dozens of firefighters from across Aberdeenshire were called to battle the blaze at Harley’s in Macduff on Sunday.
Eight crews attended the scene on Old Gamrie Road and worked for three hours to extinguish the flames.
An investigation team returned to the site on Monday to establish the cause of the incident and, last night, a spokesman for the fire brigade said: “We can confirm now that the Macduff fire is not being treated as suspicious.”
A police spokeswoman added: “The fire is not looking suspicious and the investigation has now come to a close.”
At the height of the conflagration, 60 firefighters from Aberchirder, Aberdeen, Banff, Cullen, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Macduff, Peterhead, Portsoy and Turriff battled the flames in the business’s roof space.
In the wake of the fire, devastated owner Lynn Rae told the Press and Journal she was overwhelmed by receiving many messages of support from the community and vowed to reopen in the future.
She added: “Harley’s is a soft play, restaurant and bowling alley, so it was well used by the community.
“I’ve had lots of very nice messages since the fire from people giving their support. I’d really like to thank them and the firemen and police who were here to help.”
Whitehills woman Emma Robertson was visiting her mother when she spotted the fire.
She said: “When I was leaving, there was a burning smell and I couldn’t see anything for thick black smoke, so I went to have a look.
“The building was ablaze with flames coming out the roof, and the toxic smell of smoke was unbelievable covering the town of Macduff.”
Local councillor Mark Findlater added: “It’s a loss for Macduff – another business that has been taken out of action by a fire.
“The management do a great job up there and there has been a lot of investment.
“It’s going to be a sore loss because it’s been an asset over the years. How many towns can boast a bowling alley in this area?”