A devastating fire ripped through a Paisley takeaway last night – completely gutting the building.
Residents of tenement flats above the eaterie were evacuated to safety as the emergency services raced to the scene.
The blaze took hold at Aladdins Tandoori in the town's Johnston Street shortly after 11pm.
Passing police officer Grant Miller was on his way back to the Police Scotland office on Mill Street when he spotted the blaze.
The quick-thinking officer got the upstairs residents out of No 5 and No 7 as the raging takeaway fire made its way up through the building and into the flats above.
It's understood three people needed to receive treatment from paramedics at the scene.
One of the evacuated residents was Liz Stewart whose shop Finishing Touches is located directly next to Aladdins.
Liz was alerted by her security company after the fire triggered the alarm at her store. She went down to see what was happening at her shop and was greeted by flashing blue lights of the emergency services.
She said: “I thought, ‘oh that must be the police waiting for me to get into the shop'.
“You couldn’t see the street for fire engines, police, ambulance, you name it; and all the people out of their building waiting at either end of the street while it was all shut off.
“The takeaway is totally gutted, there’s nothing left of it, it’s totally black, it’s gone. I think it happened around 11.30pm. The flames were coming out the front of the building and going up the way, so the flat above has been destroyed as well.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) remain on site this morning to ensure the situation is safe and stays under control. A spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 11.18pm on Thursday, June 1 to reports of a building on fire at Johnston Street, Paisley.
“Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances and one height vehicle to a fire affecting a commercial premises on the ground floor of a four-storey building.
“Three casualties were in the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service. Crews are currently still at the scene.”
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