An Aberdeen car dealership that went up in flames is not safe enough for investigators to enter yet to determine how the deadly blaze started.
Investigations into the cause of the fire at the Arnold Clark service centre at Girdleness Road continued yesterday as the firm began counting the cost of the damage.
Around 50 firefighters battled to stop the fire from reaching the garage’s oil tankers and flammable gas canisters in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Eventually, the crews were forced to leave the building for their own safety and continued to fight the fire from outside.
The centre, which has been severely damaged, is currently still considered too unsafe for the joint fire and investigation team to enter.
However, police have confirmed that despite it being early days there is nothing to indicate that the cause of the blaze is suspicious.
A police spokeswoman said: “At this juncture there doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
“Anyone with information about the fire should get in touch with us by calling 101.”
Around 80 people from neighbouring properties were evacuated from their homes and taken to the nearby Balnagask Community Centre as the crews tackled the flames.
One person was taken to hospital because of the thick smoke that spread throughout the area.
People who were forced to flee their homes have praised the efforts of the emergency services who battled to ensure they were safe.
Hazel McAllan, chairwoman of the Balnagask centre, said: “All the families were here for about five hours, but everyone was fine.
“There was a fantastic feeling of community spirit, and everyone just mucked in to help like they always do around here when something like this happens.
“Everyone was in great spirits and we looked out for each other, especially the vulnerable. Tesco also helped out by donating some food.
“The police, the ambulance, and the fire teams of course were all fantastic, they all rallied together to help us out and we couldn’t be more grateful.”
An Arnold Clark spokeswoman said that because of the early stage of the investigation the company would not be able to comment further at the moment.
She added that any customers who have queries should call 0141 305 8328.