An Invergordon mum has described watching flames spread through her daughter’s school as scores of screaming children ran crying from the building.
Cathleen Heine watched the devastation unfold from her living room window next door to Park Primary, which seven-year-old Rose normally goes to every day.
She said: “It was quite scary. I heard sirens then one of the fire engines pulled up around 10am.
“I could only see a little bit of smoke coming from the school at first, but five to 10 minutes later it was up in flames.
“The flames were massive and were bursting out the roof, then the roof just collapsed.
“It was really scary as it was so quick.”
The owner of Rose and Ari Beauty Lab – located just yards from the school – said the pupils were distraught following the blaze, with sounds of screaming and crying as the campus was evacuated.
She added: “One of the mums from the school said her kids were in bits, so upset they couldn’t stop crying.
“The teachers were trying to comfort the children as well.
“There are so many questions as to how this happened in the first place. I’m just glad they managed to get them all out really quickly.”
As locals tried to come to terms with the loss of the primary school, which lies at the heart of the community, residents described the incident as “dreadfully sad”.
Nicole Morrison from Invergordon took to social media to praise staff at the school for their quick action.
She said: “So proud of how well all staff done at Park Primary today, getting all our kids to safety.”