A home has been left a burnt-out wreck after a “devastating” fire in the Black Isle.
Firefighters battled for several hours to bring the flames under control, after arriving at the scene in Rosemarkie to discover the “well-developed” fire.
One woman was treated at the scene for mild smoke inhalation.
Six crews and a height appliance doused the property as flames shot into the sky – sending sparks into neighbouring gardens and charring branches on surrounding trees.
The alarm was raised at about 6pm last night.
One neighbour said when she first heard the noise, she thought it was a lawnmower – until she saw the fire engines arrive in Crawford Avenue.
Another said she got a phone call telling her about the fire and raced out to see it, describing it as “out of control” and “devastating”.
One neighbour told how she saw “sparks flying from the fire” and landing in her own garden almost 100ft away.
No suspicious circumstances
By morning, only one crew remained at the scene dampening down.
Fire investigation officers could be seen inspecting the damage of the charred building, which has large blackened areas on the exterior walls and no roof left.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious.
Guttering along the roof-line had melted and warped while the doors and windows have all been blown out by the heat.
The property at Crawford Avenue has several high trees close by and one neighbour noted that the flames were at one point higher than the trees and that she was “surprised it hadn’t spread to other houses”.