Fire at city crematorium tackled

Three units of Grampian Fire and Rescue were called out

Bereaved relatives and staff were forced to leave Aberdeen Crematorium when fire damaged one of the burning units in the complex.

Three units from Grampian Fire and Rescue Service were called to tackle the fire on Skene Road after the alarm was raised at about 1500 BST.

Aberdeen City Council said six staff and a family who had been awaiting a service safely exited the building.

Officials said the disrupted service had been rescheduled for Thursday.

A fire service spokesman said the cremator equipment was "well alight" when crews arrived.

Heating contractors

The council said the fire was confined to the Number One Cremator at the premises and the other two cremators were unaffected.

A spokesman said: "The crematorium assistant superintendent and his five staff were safely evacuated together with a family awaiting a service due to begin at 3.20pm.

"This service has, with the family's full agreement, been rescheduled for Thursday morning. No other services were scheduled for today."

The spokesman said heating contractors were preparing to make the equipment safe and it would be inspected by the authority's clerk of works.

The fire was put out on Wednesday evening, with the last crews finally leaving the scene at 2000 BST.