Firefighters tackle huge house blaze near A90 in Aberdeenshire

Firefighters have worked through the night to tackle a major house fire in Aberdeenshire.

Emergency crews were called to the blaze just south of Laurencekirk on Saturday evening, with a huge column of smoke and flames visible from the nearby A90.

A section of the road northbound at North Water Bridge was closed overnight and fire engines could be seen parked on the carriageway. The road reopened at about 10:15 on Sunday.

A post on social media, purportedly from the home owner, said six dogs had died in the fire, and two properties were destroyed.

They wrote: “Sadly we lost our six dogs and everything else, we are truly devastated but grateful for the well wishes.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said three pumping appliances and a height vehicle remained at the scene on Sunday morning.

There has been no official word from the emergency services on casualties.