Fire at Poundland store in Elgin as people urged to avoid the area

Staff and customers at a Poundland store in Elgin had to be evacuated after a fire in the building.

It is understood that the blaze started from inside the store shortly after 6pm on Friday, August 12.

Those on the scene described hearing loud bangs from within the shop, with smoke seen over Elgin.

Three members of staff who were counting up for the night, as well as a customer, managed to exit the building safely.

Very concerning to hear about this fire and hope everyone is safe and well.

My thanks to the emergency services for their quick response.

I would urge people to stay away from this area of Elgin whilst the incident is ongoing. https://t.co/6Y2ofRGUdP
— Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) August 12, 2022

Five appliances and four police vehicles attended the scene on Friday evening, with the fire understood to have been brought under control.

A cordon was put into place at Plainstones on Elgin High Street, with people urged to avoid the area.

The A96 was also closed in both directions with a local diversion in place.

Scottish Conservative leader, and MP for Moray, Douglas Ross urged people to stay away from the site.

“Very concerning to hear about this fire and hope everyone is safe and well,” he wrote on Twitter.

“My thanks to the emergency services for their quick response.

“I would urge people to stay away from this area of Elgin whilst the incident is ongoing.”

In a statement, Poundland said that it will work with the police and fire service to investigate the cause of the fire.

“This evening, just before closing time, colleagues at our Elgin store safely evacuated the premises after a fire broke out,” they said.

“We’re extremely proud of them for their quick action and for the rapid attendance of the fire service from Elgin and elsewhere in Moray.

“As you will understand, the first priority for the authorities has been to extinguish the fire and stop its spread.

“At this stage, we don’t know what caused the incident, but it goes without saying we’ll be working closely with the police and the fire brigade as they investigate the cause.”

The statement added: “While we’re grateful no-one has been injured, our first reaction this evening is one of sadness.

“Our Elgin store is special to us – it’s the only one in the UK we own outright, because of our desire to restore the listed building to its former grandeur.

“When we have more information on the fire we will, of course, share it.”