The busy High Street of a north town was cordoned off for several hours yesterday after a fire broke out in a first floor flat.
Firefighters quickly managed to bring the fire in Grantown under control but spent much of the day damping down the property.
The fire was described as “well developed” as emergency crews arrived at the flat.
The property was empty when the fire broke out and the occupant was accounted for while firefighters were tackling the blaze.
Police closed the area around the flat, which sits at the southern end of Grantown’s High Street, to allow fire crews to work.
The fire was initially reported at 11.11am after members of the public saw smoke coming from one of the flats.
Firefighters were forced to break through a door at the back of the property to tackle the fire.
Two crews from Grantown were called to the scene, along with one from Aviemore, one from Tomintoul and a command support unit from Inverness.
They used a hosereel jet and a main jet to tackle the fire before carrying out a full search of the property using breathing equipment to ensure nobody was inside.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown and a joint investigation by the police and fire service will take place in due course.
Last night station manager Niall MacLennan, who was in charge at the scene, said: “Thankfully no one was hurt and the fire was brought under control quickly.
“We are currently carrying out damping down operations and we are using a thermal imaging camera to check for signs of fire spread.
“There is significant fire damage to one room and smoke damage to the rest of the property.”
He added: “I would like to praise the initial action of the attending crews who worked swiftly to minimise the impact of the fire and prevent it spreading to adjoining properties.”
The fire was brought under control by crews at 12.08pm, with crews remaining at the scene throughout the afternoon.