Crews have successfully extinguished an early morning kitchen fire at a Moray hotel.
The blaze broke out at the Gordon Arms Hotel in Fochabers just after 4am on Thursday.
Four appliances were sent to the scene on Fochabers High Street where crews worked quickly to dampen down the flames.
No staff or guests were injured, and the hotel remains open to those who had booked a room.
John Russell, managing director of hotel owners Highland Travel Inns, said: “All of hotels are monitored by a central alarm company and one of my staff who was on first response, as it were, got a call around 4am this morning.
“Alarms were going off in the hotel all over the place but she got here in seven minutes – by which time two fire engines were here.
“Another two turned up after her. All guests were evacuated to the designated safe zones and the fire brigade did a fantastic job.”
Staff ‘shaken up’ after fire
An investigation into the source of the fire is ongoing but it is believed it broke out in an oven.
John added: “The source of the fire was contained in the kitchen and it appears that overnight, we have a fancy oven called a Combie oven and that went on fire and that’s where all the flames were coming from.
“According to the fire service, the fire started from the bottom of the oven where all the wires are connected.
“But, we don’t know for certain at the moment but it may become more apparent once the investigation has been complete.
“The damage seems to be contained in the kitchen itself, the restaurant and breakfast room does smell of smoke but we have been very lucky.
“We’re also lucky the flames didn’t shatter the window next to the oven. If they did, the flames would have reached to the new function suite upstairs which we have just finished renovating – we would have been in tears if that had burned down.
“There’s quite few staff are shaken up after it, I’d never seen their eyes like that before. But I’m just glad staff and customers are all safe. ”
Crews called to Gordon Arms in Fochabers
The hotel has confirmed the fire was contained to the kitchen and did not spread through the 16-bedroom building.
Staff got to work to clean up the space so they can reopen to visitors as soon as possible.
John said: “We have our great staff here now washing down walls of soot amongst other things – but it’s clear that this is a specialist job so I have just told them to stop.”
The hotel team also shared a post online to thank the firefighters for their “amazing” work.
A fire service spokeswoman confirmed they received reports of the blaze at 4.21am and dispatched four appliances to the scene.
Crews from Fochabers, Elgin, Keith and Buckie successfully extinguished the flames before the fire could spread beyond the kitchen.
The stop message came in 6.35am.
While crews tackled the fire, a section of Fochabers High Street was blocked to traffic and pedestrians.