JasperimageA teenager has been charged in connection with a fire at a Poundland store in Moray which took crews six hours to put out.
The fire started inside the Elgin store at 6.10pm on Friday, with nine engines, around 45 personnel and a height appliance dispatched to the scene on the High Street.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
Staff and customers at the Poundland store had to be evacuated after the blaze broke out on the ground floor.
JasperimageThose on the scene described hearing loud bangs from within the shop, with smoke seen across the town.
The fire was brought under control at around 12.15am on Saturday morning.
No one was seriously injured as a result, with one person being treated at the scene by medics for smoke inhalation.
Officers confirmed the fire was being treated as suspicious on Tuesday, following a joint investigation between the Scottish Fire Rescue Service (SFRS) and Police Scotland.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Around 6.10pm on Friday, August 12, officers were called to a report of a fire within a building on High Street, Elgin.
“A 15-year-old male youth has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
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