Listed building near hospital wrecked by fire as crews remain at scene

Fire crews are still dampening down a blaze which seriously damaged an old office building near a hospital in Aberdeen.

The building, which is on the grounds of Woodend Hospital, was still smouldering later on Tuesday morning after firefighters battled the flames through the night.

At the height of the incident, about 60 firefighters were at the scene – along with nine appliances and other resources.

The disused office building is called Westholme and the address is B-listed.

Much of the roof and internal structure of the building, which dates back to 1907, appeared to have collapsed.

The alarm was raised at about 9.48pm on Monday.

The nearby hospital was running as normal but some roads have been closed off.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said crews remained at the scene on Tuesday morning.

The spokesperson said: “At its height, around 60 firefighters from nine appliances and additional specialist resources were mobilised to the scene after we were alerted to reports of a fire just before 9.50pm on Monday April 13.

“This was a large and well-developed fire contained to the first floor and parts of the ground floor of the former nursing accommodation, now used as an office block.

“Firefighting efforts are ongoing this morning and emergency services will remain on scene for some time.

“There are no reported casualties and members of the public are urged to avoid the area.

“If smoke is visible, nearby residents and people driving through this part of the city should take precautions by keeping windows and doors closed.”

A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said: “Services and appointments at Woodend Hospital, in Aberdeen, are running as scheduled today and patients should attend as normal.

“Site roads adjacent to the disused office building affected by last night’s fire are cordoned off and patients should enter the site from Eday Road. Our outpatient car parks remain open.

“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland remain at the scene of the blaze and we’d very much like to thank them for their efforts.

“The building, Westholme, lies around 60 metres from the closest hospital building, and no areas involved in patient treatment are affected.”

Police Scotland said emergency services had attended a fire at “a derelict building within the hospital grounds”.

The force said: “It is anticipated that units will be in attendance for several hours and the public are advised to avoid the area if possible.”

Police said their inquiries to establish the cause of the fire are at an “early stage”.