It is currently unknown what caused the incident.
By: Katerina Vilemova
What appear to be remains of the fire being cleared away - Photograph courtesy of Rory Buccheri.
At 12:26pm today University of Aberdeen students received an email from UoA Communications stating that due to a “small fire” reported outside of the Sir Duncan Rice library, it would remain closed for the rest of the day.
The email said: “Please be advised that the Sir Duncan Rice Library (SDRL) has closed for the remainder of today (22 June), due to a small fire that took place outside the building this morning.”
‘I was on my way to campus shortly after the email was sent and I saw a University truck sweeping away the debris. There was an odd smell of smoke, when approaching from Bedford Road’, said Rory Buccheri who witnessed the aftermath of the fire.
Buccheri added that it “looks more like a small explosion to me.”
In photographs, what look like the remains of the fire can be seen in the parking lot outside the Sir Duncan Rice Library, which first opened in 2012.
Photograph: Rory Buccheri.
The library has announced its closure for the rest of the day, and advised students to use other library facilities, such as the Taylor Library in Old Aberdeen, or the Polwarth Library at Foresterhill instead.
“At this stage we expect SDRL to reopen tomorrow”, said University communications.
This is not the first time a fire related incident has occured in or next to the SDR Library.
