Firefighters battled to prevent a fire in a large piece of machinery at a Highland timber yard spreading to hundreds of tonnes of woodchip in the early hours of this morning.
Two crews from Fort William were called to the blaze at the BSW Timber sawmill in Corpach, which is one of the largest timber yards in Europe, at 1.18am.
Group Manager Pat McElhinney, who attended the incident, said: “On arrival, crews were met with a large 15 tonne machine on fire close to hundreds of tonnes of wood chip.”
He added that just three weeks before the fire he and Watch Manager Chris Findlay attended a site visit at BSW and were well aware of the risks, hazards and location of water supplies on the site.
Mr McElhinney said: “Having secured a water supply, crews were deployed in breathing apparatus to attack the fire.
“In addition to water, firefighters predominantly used foam in a sustained attack on the fire, which prevented further fire spread and knocked the flames back.
“Both crews from Fort William did an excellent job and their quick efforts ensured this incident did not escalate.”
He added that the use of foam made a “massive difference” because there had been diesel in the fire.
He said: “This quickly killed the chance of fire spread and limited the fire in the machinery until it was extinguished.
“It was excellent that crews were met at the front gate by BSW Staff, who led our crews to the scene at this large site.
“All things considered, this was a massive save for our crews and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as BSW is one of the largest timber yards in Europe.”