Neighbours believe it could be months before residents can return to their homes after a fire broke out at a block of flats at Polvanie View in Inverness.
Emergency services were called to the street at about 3pm on Thursday due to concerns for a man – and discovered a property on fire upon arrival.
Following a stand-off with armed police, emergency services took the injured 40-year-old man to Raigmore Hospital after he was shot, where he was arrested in connection with the incident.
During the incident, residents living in the block of flats were evacuated by police.
On Friday, the front door to the building was boarded up and bolted shut.
One eyewitness praised the police saying: “They were remarkable and had the situation under control considering what was happening.”
Residents may need to wait months to return to their homes.
Another local resident told the Press and Journal they had heard it could be several months before people are allowed to stay in the flats again.
They said: “Residents in the block have been told they’re going to be looking at December before it’ll be ready to house again.”
One witness said: “I heard they would be lucky to be back by Christmas due to the damage the fire caused. They are even talking about maybe demolishing the building all together.”
In the aftermath, the fire has destroyed what is understood to be the man’s flat and the one directly above, which has created a visible hole in the roof of the building.
Meanwhile, the main entrance to the block has been boarded up, and the stairway has been damaged by the fire as well.
Several of the flats appear to be untouched by the fire but it appears as though extensive damage has been caused to public areas.
After the man had been apprehended and taken away, the fire continued to burn as fire crews battled into the early hours of Friday morning to extinguish it.
Due to the risk of a potential electrical fire, residents in the surrounding buildings had their electricity cut off from 8pm on Thursday until 1am the next day.
What did residents see?
One eyewitness first saw the smoke coming from the block of flats when he saw what appeared to be a projectile thrown from the building.
The witness also noted that they saw the man climb down from his first-floor window via a cable and smash his feet into what are understood to be gas meter boxes on the ground.
A stand-off then ensued between the man and police.
Witnesses say that when the man charged at police officers he was shot in the leg and restrained.
Witnesses say he received treatment at the scene before being taken away to the hospital.
One witness couldn’t believe what they saw, adding “You don’t see that on your doorstep everyday.”
The police are appealing to any witnesses with information or video footage of the incident to contact them.