At least fifty firefighters are on the scene of an inferno at a north-east mansion.
The alarm was raised after Blackhill house on the outskirts of Lhanbryde was reported to be on fire at around 4.30am.
There are still ten fire engines on the scene attempting to bring the blaze under control, including a height vehicle.
There have been no reports of injury.
A spokesperson for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “The call was received at 4.30am this morning reporting a fire at Blackhills House, which is listed as a category B heritage site.
“There were a large number of appliances dispatched to the scene of the fire including two pumps from Elgin, one from Fochabers, one from Lossiemouth, a water carrier and an appliance from Buckie, one pump from Rothes, one from Aberlour, the Height Vehicle from Inverness, Incident Support Vehicle from Dyce and the Welfare Pod from Huntly.”
This morning relief crews have been sent to the incident, including two pumps from Forres, one from Keith, one from Dufftown, one from Portsoy, one from Aberchirder and one from Elgin
This was a well-established fire and is understood to have spread very quickly from the ground floor to the first floor of the property.
The occupants of the house escaped and raised the alarm.
Crews in breathing apparatus used hose reel jets and mains jets to tackle the fire, which was split into sectors.
The Height Vehicle was also used as a water tower.
The fire was brought under control by 7.33am and the height vehicle is being used at present to dampen the area down.
Fire investigators will attend the incident ground shortly to establish the cause.
Police Scotland were also at the scene.
Area Manager Duncan Smith, who is at the scene, said: “The occupants of the property were alerted to the presence of a fire by their smoke alarm, which highlights the importance of having working smoke detection fitted in your property.
“Smoke alarms save lives and if your home doesn’t have smoke detection we would urge you to contact Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and book a free Home Fire Safety Visit. We can fit smoke alarms to your home free of charge.”
Pictures from the scene show the house has been gutted following the incident.
