House fire in Kilmory, Lochaber
Publish Date: 12 December 2014
Appliances from Strontian, Lochaline, Fort William and Mallaig attended the fire
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called to attend a house fire in the remote hamlet of Kilmory, Lochaber yesterday afternoon (12 December 2014).
The fire was reported to control at 12.06pm and appliances from Strontian, Lochaline, Fort William and Mallaig attended the scene.
The fire was well alight when crews arrived as the fire had destroyed the roof space of the property and high winds precipitated the spread of fire throughout the remainder of the one and a half storey house.
There was no one inside the property at the time of the fire, however, the house was fitted with two smoke detectors by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service during a Home Fire Safety Visit.
Crews used a ground monitor, six main jets and two hose reel jets to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is not known at this time and is being investigated.
SFRS Group Manager Phil Green said: "The weather was atrocious. Snow and ice presented significant risk to responding crews who had to drive through blizzard conditions, accompanied by thunder and lightning. This meant crews were forced to drive according to the poor conditions and undoubtedly slowed down their arrival time.
"When the first crews arrived the fire in the roof had spread throughout the property due to high winds. Crews worked in difficult weather conditions and managed to extinguish the fire."
He added: "Appliances at Kilchoan and Acharacle were unavailable, but firefighters attended from Strontian, Lochaline, Fort William and Mallaig, further supporting the Service's commitment to wider operational resilience in the greater Ardnamurchan area.
"This highlights how crucial it is that our communities support Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and sign up to become retained firefighters.
"Group Manager Pat McElhinney and Watch Manager from Kilchoan, Rosemary Curtis attended a recent Kilchoan Community Council meeting to appeal to the community to support the service and help provide daytime retained cover in the area."
Retained recruitment is one of the biggest issues facing Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Assistant Chief Officer Peter Murray is currently leading a project which is looking at ways in which the service can improve retained recruitment processes and reach out to employers for their support.
A post domestic incident response is being carried out in the area today, which will include the offer of free Home Fire Safety Visits to residents in Kilchoan. SFRS will also take the opportunity to speak to residents about the possibility of them becoming retained firefighters and helping the communities in which they live.
Home Fire Safety Visit
As part of our vision to make Scotland safer, we offer free home fire safety visits. Read more