The cause of a fire that destroyed the Monifieth McDonald’s restaurant has been revealed.
The outlet was left in ruins after the blaze took hold in the early hours of November 21.
Fire crews spent 10 hours putting out the flames.
The building is expected to be demolished before Christmas.
The franchisee who runs the restaurant has also revealed plans to have it rebuilt.
Most staff who worked at the outlet have been redeployed to other branches, but some have chosen to seek other work.
Monifieth McDonald’s fire: Report reveals details of cause and explosion
The Courier can now reveal that an ice machine was the cause of the blaze.
A fire report obtained from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, through freedom of information legislation, says there was a “fault” in the appliance.
It also shows there was an explosion involving gases, but it does not specify whether that was linked to the ice machine.
The report reveals that the whole building was alight by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.
There were no casualties as a result of the fire.
Franchisee Nick McPartland, who runs the restaurant, says he hopes to rebuild the outlet eventually.
He told The Courier: “It’s still really early days following the fire.
“We were served with an unsafe building notice from Angus Council.
“The whole restaurant is expected to be demolished before Christmas and the ground made good.
‘Long, long process’ to rebuild Monifieth McDonald’s after fire
“It is our intention to rebuild on the site but this is going to be a long, long, process.
“We’ll need to put fresh plans to Angus Council for the site and everyone is aware that this will all take time.
“The insurance company are bringing out their forensic team to the site next week as part of their investigation.”
Nick says some current and former workers were left in tears at the damage caused by the blaze.
He added: “This restaurant has been here for some time and has become part of the local community.
“We’ve had parents that previously worked here and now their children do.
“There were old crew members left in tears after coming to see the extent of the damage at the building.
“We’ve kept in touch with all the staff after accommodating them at other local restaurants.”
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