Boys charged after blaze at Cordyce School in Aberdeen

Four boys have been charged after a large blaze at a mothballed Aberdeen school.

More than 30 firefighters were sent to Cordyce School shortly after 23:00 on Monday. Six appliances, including a height vehicle, were involved.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the operation was made more complex by the presence of butane gas cylinders in the building.

Police said three 15-year-olds boys and another aged 14 had been charged.

It took more than three hours to bring the fire under control.

A crew spent the night at the scene, at Riverview Drive in the Dyce area of the city.

Det Insp David Howieson of Police Scotland urged anyone with information about how the fire started to contact police.

He added: "The building has been extensively damaged and it goes without saying that this could have been a much more serious incident. Thankfully no-one was injured."

Cordyce - which catered for pupils with behavioural issues - is no longer in use and councillors have been consulting on its long-term future.

An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: "Cordyce School has been closed to pupils since June.

"Council officers will continue to liaise with the police. It would be inappropriate to comment further while there is an ongoing police investigation."