Nearly 40 people found their vehicles trapped inside a cordoned-off car park after a ferocious blaze destroyed two family businesses.
Motorists were unable to drive away from the scene of the fire at Station Road in Dyce after the Sea Salt and Sole chip shop and J Puddleduck’s after-school club were engulfed by flames.
Sara Crighton, 26, parked her car beside the railway station in the suburb before catching the train into Aberdeen.
But when she returned to try to collect it she was told by police and ScotRail staff that she could not move the vehicle – which is behind a temporary safety fence and has now been stuck for three days.
The oil industry worker had to get a lift to her office from a colleague and said she had been left exasperated because no one was able to tell her what was happening.
She said: “It’s a shame for the business owners but I’ve heard there’s 38 cars parked in there and we’re getting no access to get them out and no contingencies are being put in place.
She said she had contacted the police, ScotRail and Aberdeen City Council to find out what was going on, and had asked if courtesy cars could be given to drivers in the meantime.
She claimed she had been “passed from pillar to post”.
She added: “We’re just going round and round in circles and we’re getting absolutely nowhere.”
“It’s an absolute nightmare. There just seems to be no sense of urgency about the situation at all.”
Miss Crighton stressed how badly she felt for the owners of the chip shop and the after-school club and said: “I really feel for the businesses, it’s not their fault.”
Another driver said she had spoken to ScotRail and the council, but neither was taking responsibility.
“All of us are playing a bit of a waiting game,” she said.
“If we were told a date or ‘this is what’s happening’ I don’t think there would be as many grumpy people.”
A notice placed on car windscreens read: “Due to a fire at Dyce Station chip shop, police requested fencing to be erected to form a safe cordon for the area and your vehicle may be blocked in by this.”
Anyone needing help to get home was advised to use the help point on the platform for assistance.
The notice added: “The building standards officer from Aberdeen City Council hoped that the situation would be resolved by the end of Monday, November 23.”
Last night, it remained unclear who was responsible for the situation.
A ScotRail spokesman said the car park was under the control of the council, and because a local authority wall had been damaged the company did not have any control over when the car park was going to open.
It had been arranging taxis for those who had cars stuck in the car park.
Police said the car park was an issue for ScotRail or Network Rail.
A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council said there was a structure at the site it was responsible for and a structural engineer was involved.
However, the local authority said British Transport Police took the decision to close the car park and it was down to them when it would re-open.
A spokesman for British Transport police said: “This is not a matter for us as the car park is owned and managed by the local authority.”
Fire crews were called to the Station Road building which houses Sea Salt and Sole and J Puddleduck’s around 4am on Sunday.
No one was injured in the incident, but the premises were destroyed.
Award-winning chef Rikki Pirie, who opened Sea Salt and Sole a year ago, was left “devastated” and Joanne Fowler, the owner of J Puddleduck’s after-school club, said she was “traumatised”.