Fire breaks out in roof of town’s clock tower

Part of High Street closed after blaze in Aytoun Hall

A blaze in Aytoun Hall clock tower in Auchterarder brought traffic to a standstill yesterday.

One lane of the High Street had to be closed and a large crowd gathered while firefighters tackled the incident.

The fire was reported at around 1.45pm and three fire appliances – two from Perth and one from Auchterarder – were quickly on the scene.

Smoke was seen billowing from the corner of the roof of the clock tower which is shrouded in scaffolding while work is being carried out.

One witness said two men were working on the building when the fire broke out.

“We could see smoke and then a hole appeared with flames coming out,” she said.

“The fire service must have been inside as water then came pouring out from the roof. A couple of firemen then climbed the scaffolding to look at the roof.”

Two breathing apparatus and two hose reels were used to extinguish the fire and the aerial platform was also utilised.

Damage was restricted to the corner of the clock tower roof which was then covered with a tarpaulin, but the fire officers remained at the scene for several hours to ensure the blaze did not reignite.

One lane of the High Street remained closed for several hours which caused traffic delays on the busy thoroughfare.

The cause of the incident is under investigation and the damage is being assessed.