THIS is the moment a horror blaze rips through a historic church as residents are evacuated.
Shocking footage shows flamed engulfing the Maison Dieu Church in Brechin, Scotland, on Wednesday.
Thick plumes of black smoke can be seen billowing from the property.
The fierce inferno broke out at around 3.50pm on Wednesday.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service battled flames at the scene with six fire engines into the evening.
Local residents were evacuated with people urged to avoid the area.
The fire was categorized as “level two” which was “significant”.
A spokesperson for SFRS said: “We got a call at 3.49pm about a fire at the church.
“We have six appliances at the scene from Brechin, Montrose, Arbroath, Laurencekirk, Kirriemuir and Aberdeen.
“This is a level two fire for us so pretty significant.
“Crews are at the scene with others on the way.
“They are currently working out a plan for fighting the fire.
“We have no further details at this stage.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a fire at a premises on Witchden Road in Brechin around 3pm on Wednesday, 5 March, 2025.
“Emergency services are in attendance and the road is closed.
“A number of nearby properties have been evacuated as a precaution.”
This comes after the historic church, dating back to the 1890s, went under the hammer at auction last year for around £75,000.
The late neoclassical Georgian style building was built by Sir George Washington Browne.