More than 30 firefighters battle house and garage fire

A huge fire engulfed a house and garage in the north-east last night.

Dozens of firefighters battled to get the blaze under control for several hours before it was extinguished shortly before midnight.

The fire was initially sparked hours before in a garage at West Achath Cottage, near Castle Fraser, at about 8.45pm.

However it subsequently spread to a nearby house before the emergency services were alerted.

Five appliances from Inverurie, Kintore, Oldmeldrum and Aberdeen were called to the scene.

There was also a water carrier and a communications pod required at the property.

At its height, there were 34 firefighters battling to get the flames under control for more than two hours.

The fire service confirmed they had managed to extinguish the blaze at about 11.40pm.

However, they remain at the scene to ventilate the property.