The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Perthshire farm blaze treated as suspicious
Smoke still rising from shed at Blackford as inquiry into fire begins
Police have confirmed they are treating a fire at a Perthshire farm as suspicious.
Dozens of firefighters tackled the fire throughout Sunday night at Mains of Panholes, Blackford, after being called at around 8pm.
Emergency services battled to contain the blaze to a large shed.
A police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to a farm in Blackford, Auchterarder, shortly before 8pm on Sunday September 15 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.”
Yesterday 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.
Crawford Reid, councillor for the Strathallan ward, 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.”