A fire that trapped a person in a flat was accidental despite initial fears it was deliberate.
We reported last month how a blaze broke out in a ground-floor flat on High Street, Forres at 2.20pm on February 17.
Police said at the time were treating the fire as “wilful”.
However, a new report from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service shows that is no longer the case.
High Street, Forres
The report says: “Police Scotland considered potential for wilful ignition but, after discussion with the fire investigator, no further investigation was found to be required.”
According to the report, the fire was caused by “smoking-related materials” setting fire to furniture in a bedsitting room.
That triggered the smoke alarm to sound and three appliances attended.
It is understood the person who was in the ground-floor flat escaped unhurt – but a person in the flat above became trapped.
The report says they were “trapped by smoke”.
It adds: “The fire was extinguished and the smoke was removed.
“The trapped occupant walked out as the smoke cleared.
“They had been overcome by the smoke and went to hospital. Their injury appears to be slight.”
Man screams ‘I’ll kill you at fire on Wyvis Place, Merkinch
We reported last month how residents of an Inverness street were left scared and shaken after a man screamed “I’m going to kill you” before a blaze broke out.
A neighbour said they heard a man shouting a death threat ahead of the blaze, which broke out at 6pm on February 24.
The fire service has now made available an incident report which paints what sounds to be a very confusing picture of a fast-moving scene.
The report says: “This was a fire in a mid-terrace house.
“Flames issuing out of a broken front ground-floor window on arrival of fire crews.”
About an hour before the fire, neighbours had reported that there had been “a disturbance” at the property around 5pm and a missing person and a missing dog were somehow involved.
Firefighters wearing breathing gear went into the property to put out the fire.
The scene was declared safe within 90 minutes.
The report adds: “Crews stood down as no persons were within property.
“No dog was found within property.
“All information passed onto Police Scotland and Police Scotland confirmed that they had located missing person.
“This fire is being treated as wilful by Police Scotland and it is currently under investigation.”
Jimmy Savile’s former house
We reported last month how fire crews spent nine hours battling a fire in a building at a Glencoe cottage once owned by disgraced broadcaster Jimmy Savile.
The fire broke out in an outbuilding near the cottage between Tyndrum and Ballachulish Bridge at 5.30pm on February 8.
According to a new fire service report, a person raised the alarm and three appliances attended.
They declared the scene safe at 2.15am the following day.
Nobody was in the outbuilding at the time of the fire.
The whole building was damaged and fire investigation officers have been unable to determine the cause of the fire.
It means the incident is now closed unless new information comes to light.
NorScot, Bridge of Don
The damage caused by a fire at a business premises was so extensive that fire investigation officers can’t even survey it.
We reported last month how crews tackled a fire at truck and haulage firm NorScot on the Parkway, Bridge of Don, on February 9.
A new fire incident report says firefighters arriving on 11 appliances tackled the blaze for three hours.
The fire might have been going for between five and 30 minutes before it was discovered, says the report.
Nobody was in the building at the time of the fire.
The fire did not spread rapidly and was limited to the room and floor where it began.
“The cause of the incident remains unknown. Fire investigation officers did not attend due to the unsafe building with the potential for collapse as advised by the structural engineer,” said the report.
Two incidents at Maidencraig Nature Reserve, Aberdeen
We reported last month how fire crews were called to a nature reserve to tackle two fires in two days.
Police are treating the fires as deliberate – a view supported by two new fire incident reports.
The first call was at 7.30pm on February 12 and two appliances attended.
According to the report, someone set fire to scrubland out in the open.
It says: “There was approximately 100sq m of scrubland well alight.
“There were multiple seats of fire.”
Firefighters had made the scene safe within 70 minutes before leaving – but they were back the next day at 6.10pm.
One appliance attended and took just under half an hour to make the scene safe.
The report recorded both fires as deliberate.
Deliberate fire at Persley Scrapyard, Aberdeen
A fire at a scrapyard began when someone started setting fire to vehicles, a new report shows.
We reported last month how crews were called to property within RGS Hutchison and Sons on Upper Persley Road in the Persley area on February 15.
A new report said a person who was at the scene discovered the blaze immediately after it broke out and called for help.
Firefighters on two appliances attended at 12.30am.
An investigation has concluded someone broke into the yard and “brought a heat source together with combustibles”.
The source of the ignition was in a vehicle and the whole of the vehicle was on fire when crews arrived.
They had made the scene safe by 1.10am.
Deliberate car fire in Peterhead
We reported last month how police were treating a car fire close to a Peterhead roundabout as wilful.
A new report says the car “appeared to be abandoned” near the Howe O’ Buchan roundabout.
A person spotted the car on fire on the A90 at 3.20am on Valentine’s Day and called for help.
Firefighters on two appliances attended and made the scene safe within half an hour.
The report said the fire was deliberate and someone had brought a heat source together with combustibles.
Petrol and oil products caused the fire to spread rapidly, said the report.
Car burst into flames in Banchory
A driver got a huge shock last month when her Mercedes burst into flames.
Driver Ola Kramarczyk, said her vehicle suddenly “lost power” while driving near the Hill of Banchory Road on February 15 and smoke started spewing from the bonnet.
Luckily, Ms Kramarczyk was able to get out of the car unharmed.
A new fire report says firefighters attended the incident outside Screwfix at Banchory Business Park just before 1pm and spent 25 minutes making the scene safe.
It says the fire was accidental and a member of the public used a fire extinguisher to help dampen the flames before they arrived.
According to the report, the main cause of the fire was “a faulty fuel supply – petrol product” which set fire to the vehicle’s engine parts.
The petrol within the vehicle led to the rapid spread of the fire, said the report.
Car fire on Beechwood Road, Aberdeen
There was a deliberate vehicle fire in Aberdeen last month, as we reported at the time.
Firefighters on one appliance attended Beechwood Road near the junction with Foresterhill Road, after a man called to say a van was on fire at 10.50pm on February 21.
A new fire report says the crew made the scene safe within 11 minutes.
Someone smashed the car window and threw a heat source through the window, causing the van’s internal fittings to catch fire in the driver’s compartment.
Traffic delays on A9 near Aviemore
We reported on February 13 how a vehicle fire caused part of the A9 to be closed for four hours.
According to a new fire report, the blaze broke out within a trailer unit of a lorry at 4.35am and that it was accidental.
The main cause of the fire was overheating and the source was the wheels or brakes.
The fire had “taken hold within the trailer wheels,” said the report.
It added: “Crews cut away the damaged section of side wall of the trailer to check for fire spread before handing the incident to police.”
Two January fires
We covered most of the notable fires that happened in January in last month’s Fires in Focus article.
However, there were two that we have since received the reports for.
The first was a blaze at a garage near the Ban Car Hotel in Lonmay near Fraserburgh on January 15.
A new reports says the fire began in a faulty tumble dryer, which spread to electrical wiring within the property.
Varnish and creosote caused a rapid spread of the flames, which led to the roof sustaining damage.
It took firefighters on two appliances about 40 minutes to make the scene safe.
The second was a fire within a junction box on Church Street, Nairn, at 11am on January 22.
A new report said a faulty fuel supply was followed by an explosion, which caused the fire.
Nobody was hurt and fire crews made the scene safe within two hours.
Twenty five homes and several businesses were without power for several hours during repairs.