Three people and a dog are understood to have died in a Perth hotel fire this morning, according to local reports.
Fire and ambulance crews were called to County Place in the Fair City at around 5am following reports of a blaze breaking out at the New County Hotel.
Roads have been cordoned off in the city centre to allow emergency services to tackle the blaze: Hospital Street, County Place, Leonard Street and New Row have been barricaded. It's been reported locally three people and a dog tragically died in the blaze.
Police said guests were evacuated from the hotel and locals were asked to avoid the area.
Local MSP and Deputy First Minister John Swinney posted on Facebook: "Very concerned to hear this news and hope that everyone is safe. Grateful thanks, as ever, to the emergency services for their actions."
Deputy leader of Perth & Kinross Council, councillor Eric Drysdale, warned members of the public that it was a “very serious incident”.
He added: “All announcements regarding any confirmed casualties will be made by the emergency services.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Shortly before 5.10am on Monday, 2 January, 2023, police were called to a report of a fire at the New County Hotel, County Place, Perth. Emergency services are at the scene.
"A number of guests have been evacuated from the hotel. Members of the public are being asked to avoid the area.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are currently in attendance alongside emergency service partners at a commercial building fire at County Place in Perth.
“Operations Control mobilised nine fire appliances to the scene after the alarm was raised at 5.02am on Monday, January 2.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson “We received a call from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service of a fire at the New County Hotel in Fife at 05:05hrs. We responded with 21 resources including our Special Operation Resource Team, with our first resource on scene at 05:12hrs.”
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