A blaze which broke out in an Aberdeenshire nightclub is not being treated as suspicious.
Explosions were heard in Zee’s nightclub in Stonehaven late on Sunday, with half of the street evacuated as firefighters tackled the flames.
It is now believed a fridge caught fire.
Police closed down a section of the town’s Barclay Street after the alarm was raised at about 11.15pm on Sunday.
People seated against the wall in the neighbouring Trouper’s pub were said to have been thrown from their seats by an explosion within the club, which was closed at the time.
Last night a fire and rescue spokesman said: “Fire investigation officers attended the day after the incident and determined that it was not suspicious. It was accidental and electrical in nature.”
Stonehaven councillor Raymond Christie said: “I don’t know a lot about the fire really, presumably because it is open until 3am on a Saturday and a Friday locals can’t get much sleep around that area.
“But the guy has got a business to run and legally he can operate until that time. I am sorry in a way that the business went on fire and that he won’t be able to use it for some time.
“There was no one in when everything happened, had people been there the results could have been different.”
Two fire crews from Stonehaven were called to the scene along with units from Inverbervie, Laurencekirk and North Anderson
Drive in Aberdeen, as well as a height vehicle from the city’s central station.
The fire took about an hour to bring under control.
Witnesses said people in Trouper’s bar, which has since reopened, felt as thought they had been “kicked in the back” following the explosion.
The owner of Zee’s was not available for comment last night.