A major blaze at a fast food takeaway brought Perth city centre to a standstill on Sunday night.
Nearly 40 firefighters battled flames at the Elrasheed shop in the city’s Scott Street.
Several people living above the property were forced to flee as their homes filled with thick black smoke. One woman was seen being carried out of the building.
The fire broke just after 4pm and prompted a massive operation involving fire, police and ambulance crews.
At the height of the incident there were seven fire appliances from Perth and Auchterarder.
Hose reel jets were used to damped down the outside of the four-storey building, while firefighters continued to tackle the blaze from inside. It is understood the fire spread to one of the flats above, causing extensive damage.
The friend of one woman who was evacuated from her home above the takeaway said: “It all happened so fast.
“The flat just started filling with smoke and they could hear alarms going off. They saw the blue lights and came outside.
“We didn’t know what was going on, but the police told us it looked like the fire had started in the takeaway on the ground floor.”
She said: “Police have been taking names of everyone who came out. They said they were trying to sort out accommodation, because there’s no way we can go back into the flat tonight.”
Alistair Grant, who runs the hairdressing salon next door to Elrasheed, said: “The fire service needed me to open my shop so they could get into the building.
“I had a quick look inside and it seems to be okay, although there was some windows broken at the back. But the shop next door looks wrecked.
“It’s a real shame.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed a total of 36 firefighters were involved in the incident. “There was seven appliances and a special command support vehicle,” she said. “People were evacuated from the flats above the shop.”
A Police Scotland spokesman added: “Around 4.14pm on Sunday, 10 January, police were called to the Scott Street area of Perth following a report of a fire at a property.”
He said the road was closed while officers continued to assist the fire crews.
Crowds of people – mostly masked up – gathered at the edges of the cordon to watch the action.
