‘ The roof was ablaze and fire crews and police started to cordon off the whole area’
POLICE are investigating a huge blaze that happened over the weekend in Airdrie.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service ( SFRS) was called to the town’s Chapel Street at around 5.10pm on Friday after a fire broke out in a derelict building near to New Open Kitchen Takeaway.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Police Scotland previously said officers were assisting the SFRS at the scene.
Now, the force have said enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
Images of the inferno were taken by local resident Matt McCulloch, who alerted the emergency services after he smelt burning.
He told the Glasgow Times: “The fire started at around 5.10pm and I made the first call at about 5.14pm because we were all unsure as to whether it was someone burning rubbish or not.
“I came back after going home 20 minutes later and it was chaos.
“The roof was ablaze and fire crews and police started to cordon off the whole area, and at 8pm almost every entry point was cordoned off.
“Initially, when I called 999, I knew the fire crew would need access and there were a few people’s cars in the way that were inside New Open Kitchen.
“I directed them to move their cars, and assisted in getting the whole area clear.
“The smoke could be seen and smelled all the way to Centenary Way by the viaduct.
“The situation escalated and the roof started to lose structural integrity.
“That’s when the fire crew started to rush about with hoses and the police took a more hardline stance with the cordon, manually directing traffic and shutting off access points.
“That’s when you realise how serious it is.”
Mr McCulloch managed to get pictures of the scene using his drone.
He said: “I do drone surveying as well as landscape photography so I always have my drone with me, and I decided to get it up in the sky to get the footage and pictures.”
The SFRS has been contacted for comment.