FEARS OF A MAJOR incident at Elgin’s police station on Monday were sparked when two fire appliances arrived at the building with a third having been alerted from Huntly.
It soon emerged, however, that concerned police officers who had detected a “sulphurous” smell at the station were picking up the odour from a battery store with no danger.
The “emergency” was sparked after several officers had detected the odour and called in two appliances and a support vehicle from the nearby Elgin fire station, while another appliance from Huntly was on its way – but quickly sent back.
“We received a call from the police reporting the smell of sulphur in the station,” a spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service said, adding: “There were three appliances sent out along with an incident support vehicle.
“They traced the smell to a battery store that was used in conjunction with radio communications in the station. The battery store was investigated by two fire fighters in breathing apparatus using a thermal camera.
“They were then assessed by an engineer – but there was no ill-effects to anyone.”
Concerned local residents had suspected a major incident when the fire appliances were spotted outside the building but were reassured with a Police Scotland spokesman saying: “We can confirm that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended Elgin Police Station on Monday.
“There was no threat to anyone’s safety.”