A Fort William barber has described his devastation after watching his business go up in flames.
Fire crews were called out to Station Square at about 3.15am yesterday and spent almost seven hours getting it under control.
The Pier Head takeaway was completely destroyed by the inferno, with its neighbouring businesses John Wilson Barber Shop and Aylz Nailz and Beauty also substantially damaged.
‘Massive fireball’
Barber John Wilson worked out of the premises for more than six years and said it was heartbreaking to see it wrecked by the fire.
Mr Wilson also lost the precious gold records by The Beatles and Elvis Presley which adjorned the walls, but thanked the fire crews for being able to save his equipment.
He also thanked the community who have rallied around, offering him a place to get back to work as quickly as possible.
Mr Wilson said as soon as the phone rang at 4.30am, he knew it was bad news.
He said: “I arrived on-scene about an hour later and just saw a massive fireball and as I stood there I realised there’s nothing I can do, the building has been ruined.
“There was about 20 firefighters doing their jobs and the chip shop had been destroyed.
“Our landlord, a man in his 70s, was also there and he was in tears, he had worked as the barber before me.
“The full situation did not hit until I arrived back home, where I broke down in tears.”
Second fire at the building
It is the second fire to hit the building over the last few years.
A smaller blaze had started in the chip shop two-and-a-half years ago but it was during the day, so fire crews managed to put it out.
Now Mr Wilson must rebuild his business almost from scratch.
He said: “The only bit of good news I got was that the firefighters had saved my equipment, which is top of the range stuff so at least I have got that.
“Unfortunately, everything else is gone.
“I used to work as a DJ so I had gold records from the likes of the Beatles and Elvis Presley on the walls of the shop but they have been destroyed in the fire.
“It’s just devastating, it’s happened just as I got back on my feet and transitioning to appointments-only due to Covid-19.
“It is just another blow for me, as I’m my own boss so will need to start again and re-do everything.”
Support from local people
However, Mr Wilson has been blown away by the support of the Fort William people who have offered to help him get back on his feet.
He said: “I need a chair so I can cut hair again and I have had offers from the fantastic people in Fort William.
“They’ve offered to move a pool table at a pub, offered a place in a conservatory, I’ve been inundated with offers.”
Mr Wilson thinks the whole building will need knocked down due to the devastating effect of the blaze.
He added: “From seeing the state of the building, I can’t see how anyone can return to it safely.”