Crews battle blaze in Stonehaven

An Aberdeenshire farmhouse has been extensively damaged following an early morning fire.

Firefighters battled for three hours to bring the flames at West Blackbutts Farm, Muchalls, near Stonehaven under control.

No-one was injured in the fire, which happened just after 2.30am yesterday , as the building was empty at the time.

However, the fire is said to have caused substantial interior damage.

Yesterday, the only sign of damage was blackened window frames and a boarded-up front door.

The owner of the property refused to comment about the drama.

The fire service confirmed the incident is not being treated as suspicious.

Four crews were sent to the scene, but only two from Stonehaven were needed.

Police were also in attendance at the fire, and a spokeswoman described the property as “well ablaze”.

She said: “We were called at 3.10am. The fire was on the upper floor of the property, which was well ablaze.

“No-one was injured or needed to be rescued, as the property was empty. It was quite an extensive fire, and the building was quite badly damaged.”

The fire was extinguished by 4.40am using two hose reel jets, six breathing apparatus and a ventilation fan.