A savage fire ripped through buildings at a Mearns farm causing damage estimated to run into six figures.
Potential hazardous chemicals at Coldstream Farm near Laurencekirk posed an additional threat to the farm and to firefighters tackling the blaze.
A specialist hazardous materials officer was brought on site to offer advice.
A total of 35 firefighters from both Grampian and Tayside fire and rescue tackled the blaze and were expected to remain throughout the night in what would be a full 24-hour firefighting operation.
Farmer Jim Cargill was not on the farm when the blaze broke out at around 9.40am yesterday. His son Tom called him.
Mr Cargill had been preparing for the official opening of a new multi-million-pound farmer-owned grain storage facility at Montrose port in his capacity as chairman of Angus Cereals.
He was forced to rush away from proceedings when the emergency call came through from his son.
“He phoned and said he saw flames and had called the fire brigade,” said Mr Cargill.
Two substantial outbuildings which were used to store wooden potato boxes and a stack of daffodil bulbs were left melted and twisted after temperatures of over 600 degrees centigrade weakened a steel frame in one building, causing it to collapse and destroy ed another stone outbuilding.ArduousStation manager Mike Cordiner from Grampian Fire and Rescue said the excessive heat had presented “arduous conditions” for the crews from Montrose, Stonehaven, Inverbervie and Aberdeen.
He said the drying process for the daffodil bulbs had helped the fire to spread. “The process involves air circulating to keep the bulbs in a dry condition,” he said. “Those are ideal conditions for a fire to spread very quickly.”
In addition an estimated 1500 wooden potato boxes were stored in one outbuilding, again fuelling the flames.
As well as the destruction of the outbuildings, Mr Cargill lost potato grading equipment, two forklifts, the potato boxes and a couple of hundred wooden boxes full of daffodil bulbs.
He had no idea of the cause of the blaze or of the actual cost of the damage, although he estimated it could be a six-figure sum.
Asked what effect the blaze would have on his business, Mr Cargill said he was a month away from lifting his potato crop.
He would have to find alternative storage and a supply of potato boxes.
The effects would be “major” but would not affect the arable side of the farm.
Mr Cordiner said there was no early indication as to the cause of the blaze.