An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the blaze at Poundland in Elgin.
Firefighters spent more than six hours tackling the flames at the store on the town’s High Street after the alarm was raised at about 6pm on Friday.
The incident sparked a major emergency response, with 10 crews from across the region – including incident response and welfare units – deployed to the scene.
Police and the ambulance service also attended. Nobody was hurt and one person was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
Road closures were put in place and nearby homes and businesses were evacuated while emergency services dealt with the fire and made the area safe.
The fire was extinguished shortly after midnight, but one fire appliance remained at the scene on Saturday as a precaution.
Officers will also remain on the premises for the time being until a joint investigation between police and fire service is carried out to establish the full circumstances.
Inspector Mark Young said: “Around 6.10pm on Friday, August 12, we received a report of a fire within a building at High Street, Elgin.
“No one was seriously injured as a result of this fire with one person being treated for smoke inhalation by ambulance personnel at the scene.
“The roads have now re-opened however a police presence will remain at the building until a joint investigation is carried out by Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”
Store to remain closed until further notice
While a full assessment is still to take place, a Poundland spokesman confirmed there has been extensive damage to the shop floor.
Images show there is also some external damage on the rear side of the building.
The B-listed structure has been under construction since May 2018 after parts of the building collapsed due to water pouring in through the roof.
It is not yet known whether the incident would have an impact on the ambitious project, with works initially scheduled to end around December this year.
The spokesman said the shop will remain closed to customers for now and added: “At this stage we don’t know what caused the incident, but it goes without saying we’ll help the police and fire authorities in any way we can.
“We don’t know when we’ll be in a position to reopen the store. It’s clear at this early stage, there’s extensive damage to the shop floor and full assessments won’t be made until next week.
“In the mean time we sincerely apologise to customers for our unforeseen closure. We’ll be looking after our colleagues who work at Elgin and doing all we can to re-open as soon as we’re able.”
‘Extremely proud’ of staff for quick response
Local politicians and Poundland bosses have praised staff and emergency services for their quick response to the incident.
A company spokesman said: “We are extremely proud of them for their quick action and for the rapid attendance of the fire service from Eigin and elsewhere in Moray.
“Our first reaction was one of sadness, but we’re grateful there were no injuries.
“We understand the investigation into what caused the fire will begin early next week and we’ll be doing all we can to help the authorities find out what happened.
“Our Elgin store is special to us – it’s the only one in the UK we own outright, because of our desire to restore the listed building to its former grandeur.”
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead also thanked emergency services and said: “I was shocked to hear about the fire at Poundland, which is in the heart of Elgin’s High Street, and my thoughts are with the staff and customers who were in the store when the fire broke out and who will undoubtedly be very distressed.
“I’m grateful to the fire and rescue service and other emergency responders who have been working to tackle the blaze and to keep the town centre and local residents safe.”
Conversation