Demolition work on a fire-damaged Aberdeen day centre has been delayed until a contractor can be found to monitor air quality.
The hold-up comes as three youths help police with their investigation into the blaze at Mastrick, which took more than 60 firefighters almost four hours to bring under control.
Crews remained at the site of the Burnside Day Centre until Monday morning when a joint police and fire investigation was launched.
The building was due to be demolished following a smaller fire which was deliberately set at the site in February.
Aberdeen City Council brought the start date forward to yesterday due to the extensive damage caused by the most recent incident on Sunday.
However, later in the day, officials revealed they had been forced to put the work on hold.
The authority is now seeking a company to carry out air quality tests to ensure there is no potential risk to residents from substances such as asbestos.
A council spokeswoman said she could not provide an exact timescale for the demolition work, but insisted the authority was committed to starting the process “as soon as possible”.
Aberdeen Donside MSP Mark McDonald welcomed the announcement.
He said: “This is welcome news which I’m sure the community will be happy with.
“While the council had resisted bringing forward the demolition following the previous fire, I am pleased that they have acted quickly following the most recent incident.
“Bringing forward the demolition date is in the best interests of everyone involved and will improve the safety for nearby residents.”
The roof of the centre has collapsed along the length of the building, leaving debris piled inside and across the surrounding pathway.
Fire teams were called back to the fire-hit Aberdeen day centre last night following fresh reports of smoke billowing from the building’s roof.
Two appliances were called to the Burnside Day Centre at 8.15pm after a security guard monitoring the site reported seeing smoke.
A fire spokeswoman said it was a smouldering patch of debris.