Emergency services have been thanked for their sterling efforts in the wake of a “horrific” fire which devastated a long-standing Blairgowrie business on Friday night.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) personnel rushed to the Blair’s Laundry & Dry Cleaners premises on the corner of Emma Street and Arthur Street after the alarm was raised just after 7pm.
As many as nine appliances were said to have been in attendance, with crews based in Blairgowrie joined by colleagues from Alyth, Kirriemuir, Kirkmichael, Perth, Dundee, Broughty Ferry and elsewhere – as well as the police and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Crews remained on the scene until well into the following day and thankfully, despite the ferocity of the blaze, no injuries were reported.
Members of the Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council (BRCC) resilience team were also among those offering support to those in the vicinity of the alarming incident.
A spokesperson for the volunteer-led group said: “The Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council resilience team worked closely with the emergency services during the fire.
“There was one power outage. These residents were visited by the BRCC resilience group and offered support.
“At that present time, there was no need to open a resilience facility.”
The spokesperson concluded: “We would like to extend our thanks to the emergency services in attendance and extend our condolences to those affected by this horrific event.”
Blairgowrie and Glens Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers said: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific fire at Blair’s Laundry, which is a long-established business and employer.
“Thanks to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews, Police Scotland and all involved in the incident.”
Perthshire North SNP MSP John Swinney added: “I am deeply saddened by news of this fire.
“While this is a hugely regrettable situation, I am relieved that there have been no casualties as a result of the blaze.
“I would also like to extend my thanks to the emergency services, who quickly took action to contain the fire and ensure that local residents were kept safe.”
Afterwards Paul Smith, the Watch Commander at Blairgowrie Fire Station, described the fire as “a challenging incident brought to a safe conclusion by great teamwork from crews, partner agencies and the local community.”
On the night itself, a spokesperson for Police Scotland advised people to steer clear of the scene.
Locals were also asked to close their windows due to the amount of smoke in the area.
Police also advised anyone with a drone to avoid flying it over the site of the fire.
