Fire crews were called out in the early hours of yesterday morning (Monday) after a fire started at an Aberdeenshire farm.
Around 24 firefighters were called to Arbuthnott Home Farm, Arbuthnott at around 12.25am to battle the blaze, which took hold in a building storing wood pellets.
Two fire engines and a water carrier from Stonehaven, as well as engines from Inverbervie and Laurencekirk were needed on-scene for several hours.
An incident support vehicle was also called out from Dyce.
Crews in breathing apparatus used two hose reel jets to tackle the blaze.
They also used three positive pressure ventilation (PPV) fans to clear heavy smoke logging from the building.
The Press and Journal understands there was no serious damage to the surrounding buildings or farming equipment.
The incident commander was David Beattie, watch manager at Inverbervie. He said: “The main difficulty for the crews was the lack of visibility due to the amount of smoke.
“It was not easy to see the fire to begin with for that reason. We had to locate the power supply and make sure that was isolated.
“A cordon was set up and the building’s occupants were evacuated. The crews worked hard to prevent the fire spreading to the working mill, which was also located within the building.
“We used three PPV fans to clear the smoke and hay drags and a digger to spread the fire load and bring it outside so we could dampen it down effectively.”
The fire was brought under control just before 3am and fire crews left the scene an hour later.
Inquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing, but it is not believed to have been started deliberately.
The farm is home to Arbuthnot Wood Pellets (AWP) who produce Stovies – a form of low-carbon, renewable alternative to fossil fuels.
The wood pellets are sourced from locally and can be used to produce heat in a specially designed stove or boiler.
Despite several attempts to contact them, no one from AWP was available for comment.