Four fire crews are battling a blaze in the Queensgate area of Inverness city centre between the Rajah Indian restaurant and the Pasha Turkish restaurant.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) responded to a call at 12.29 and dispatched four appliances and a “safety resource” to the scene.
Images published online show flames coming from the Rajah Restaurant which is on Post Office Avenue while Queensgate, where Pasha is located, is also blocked off as is Church Street.
An eyewitness told the Inverness Courier that they had been sitting in the Ember Cafe on Queensgate but were ordered to evacuate the premises.
They added that people in the other premises along Queensgate were also asked to leave due to the potential risk posed by the fire but the fire service says there is “no concern of the fire spreading” at this stage.
More recent photos appear to show that the fire is mostly out but the SFRS confirm that water is still be used to control the fire – the incident is ongoing.
Crews were in the process of locating the source of the flames,
It is the second major fire in Inverness city centre today after a police vehicle went up in flames on Friars Bridge closing the A82 in the city for several hours.
No one was hurt in the incident.
This is a developing news story and we will bring you more as we get it.
