A man has died in a house fire in Inverurie.
Three crews and police were called to the residence in Townhead Drive at about 12.30pm on Friday.
The teams from Insch, Inverurie and North Anderson Drive managed to extinguish the blaze within half an hour.
A man died at the scene following the incident.
Neighbour Margaret Smith said she was shocked when she heard the news.
She said did not see the blaze but after coming back from the shops, Mrs Smith saw the emergency services in front of the property.
The 79-year-old said: “I didn’t see the fire but I knew it was something serious and I was concerned by the amount of time police had been there.”
Another nearby resident said she saw the fire when she was walking home around lunchtime and quickly got someone to call emergency services.
She said: “You could see the windows were cracked and flames were visible behind the glass. And you could smell the smoke. It’s very tragic.”
While inquiries are still ongoing, police have said they do not believe the blaze to be suspicious.
A police spokesman said: “Around 12.55pm on Friday, May 27, police received a report of a fire in Townhead Drive, Inverurie.
“Emergency services attended and a man died at the scene. His next of kin has been informed.
“Inquiries are ongoing but the fire is not believed to be suspicious.”
