A takeaway owner has described the “terrifying” night he watched flames tear through the building as he vowed it would rise from the ashes once more.
Emergency teams were called to Shalimar Tandoori on King Street at around 12.45am on Tuesday.
Crews worked through the night to extinguish the flames.
The alarm was initially raised by a staff member who, after the takeaway had closed at 11pm, was still cleaning and tidying up at the property.
He called owner Mohammed Adrees, who leapt out of bed and drove in from his home in Mintlaw.
He said it was “terrifying” to stand on the street, watching the flames take hold of the building.
“I was home and one of my employees raised the alarm,” he said.
“I was shaking the whole drive and the fire was terrifying when I arrived. I didn’t know what to expect.
“I was told the fire had started in the loft space above the takeaway, and that things had fallen through into the takeaway, causing a lot of damage.
“We have had to close until we can repair everything.”
Mr Adrees is now waiting on a structural engineer to declare the building, which has been serving hungry Aberdonains for 50 years, safe to re-enter.
He added: “Most of our customers have been really supportive during this , although some have thought we started the fire ourselves.
“That’s not the case at all – we want to open as soon as possible, but that could take a long time.”
Police were forced to close King Street between its St Machar Drive roundabout and the BP garage beside the Indian takeaway during the fire.
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus as they battled the flames, while a thermal image camera was used to ensure the situation was under control.
The fire service battled the fire from 12.42am to 7.04am, and reported no casualties.
They were called back that afternoon after the fire reignited, but quickly extinguished the trouble spot.
Online, loyal customers said they were “devastated” at the news and had their “fingers crossed” Shalimar Tandoori could reopen quickly.