The north and north-east’s most senior fire chief has praised the “first class” efforts of his crews as Storm Frank hit the region.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in the north received 158 flood-related calls between December 30 and yesterday morning – with 350 calls taken across Scotland during the same period.
Ballater fire station suffered extensive damage and could not be used as a base, and equipment was also ruined by the torrents.
Head of service delivery in the north, deputy assistant chief officer Andy Coueslant, revealed that after assisting members of their community, the firefighters returned to their own homes which were also badly affected by flooding.
Braemar station was also cut off during the busy Hogmanay period due to the A93 being washed away.
A standby pump from the Blackness Road station in Dundee was mobilised to provide additional cover as there was no access from the Aberdeenshire area.
“(The staff’s) commitment to protecting and supporting communities around the country has been first class,” said Mr Coueslant.
“I would like to pay tribute to all our staff and partners in the other blue light services and agencies who have done so much in the last week to keep people safe.”
Local senior officer for Aberdeenshire and Moray, David Rout, who has been co-ordinating operations across the area, added: “Numerous rescues were carried out by staff, pumping out of domestic properties and evacuating people to safety.
“In addition and amongst all of this we attended a serious fire in a care home in Tarland and continued to provide necessary resilience across the area.”