Police have confirmed they are treating a fire at a Perthshire farm as suspicious.
Emergency services were battling to contain the blaze to a large agricultural shed.
A police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to a farm in Blackford, Auchterarder shortly before 8pm on Sunday 15th September following reports of a barn on fire.
“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended and local road closures were put in place while firefighters extinguished the blaze. There were no injuries.
“Inquiries are ongoing into the cause of the fire, which is being treated as suspicious.”
On Monday morning, the extent of the damage became clearer, with heavy smoke still rising from the destroyed shed.
A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said a pair of appliances remained at the scene long after the fire was extinguished and crews had also spent time removing straw from the building and damping down.
The shed contained 1,500 bales of straw or hay, 300 tonnes of grain and farm equipment, when the fire broke out. Portable pumps were used by firefighters to divert water from a nearby river in efforts to tackle the blaze.
During the emergency’s peak, there were seven engines at the scene as well as specialist response units.
Witnesses told how they watched as the fire tore through the shed. They reported huge flames and thick black smoke coming from the farm. The strong smell of smoke in the air remained throughout the day.
Councillor for the Strathallan Ward, Crawford Reid commended the work of the emergency services in attendance.
He said: “I take my hat off to the fire service who always risk their lives.
“It must have been quite a strong fire for that many to be in attendance.
“My wife and I woke at around 3am and could smell quite a pungent smell of smoke, and we live around three or four miles away from where the fire was. You can’t commend [the fire service] enough.”
The Police spokesperson added: “Officers are following positive lines of inquiry.”
