A 900-year-old Angus church has been destroyed after a “horrendous” fire.
Four appliances were called to Lundie Church in Angus just before 6pm on Friday evening.
Images from the incident showed flames shooting into the air as crews desperately battled to the save the ancient church.
Large sections of the roof were destroyed with significant signs of internal damage to the 12th-century kirk.
A visible police presence remained at the scene on Saturday as officers were understood to be assisting with a building safety inspection.
One resident said the fire spread rapidly as multiple calls were made to the emergency services.
‘The fire spread so quickly’
She said: “The fire was horrendous, it spread so quickly and the embers were floating over to other properties.
“If it hadn’t been so wet it could have spread, it was absolutely terrifying.
“The flames were coming through the roof of the building and were soaring at least 10-feet into the air.
“It was glowing orange, it was huge.
“Thankfully everyone is OK but we feel for the owner of the building who was converting the church into a home.”
A spokeswoman for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Blairgowrie, Carnoustie and Arbroath attended the incident.
She said: “We received the first call at 5.39pm to reports of fire at a church in Lundie.
“Four appliances were in attendance and crews used four main jets, a portable pump and small gear at the scene.
“We received the stop message at 10pm on Friday.”
Last November the 900-year-old Angus church sold at an online auction for just under £40,000.
The sale, to an anonymous bidder, just broke the auctioneer’s £29,000 to £39,000 price guide.
The church was previously owned by the Church of Scotland, but it was recently sold to another owner who decided to put it up for auction.
Police Scotland said there would be no investigation following the blaze.
The owner of the church building was approached for comment regarding the fire.
