Firefighters have been praised for the speed with which they located and extinguished a fire which could have spread through an old building in the city centre of Inverness yesterday.
Firefighters were called to reports of smoke coming from a chimney stack above the Rocpool restaurant in Ness Walk at around 3.55pm.
Upon arrival crews quickly located the fire which was within a laundry room in the basement of the restaurant. Two appliances from Inverness community fire station attended.
Incident Commander, Station Manager Steven Bassindale, said: “We received reports of smoke coming from a chimney stack on the third floor of the four storey multi-occupancy building.
“Crews gained access to building at the rear of the premises and very quickly established the location of the fire, which was within a basement laundry room containing laundry equipment.
“Firefighters in breathing apparatus used a hosereel jet to extinguish the fire. Residents in an adjacent guest house and from the residential flats above the restaurant were also evacuated as a precaution.”
He added: “I would like to praise the efforts of the crews for their speed in which they located the fire and ensured it did not spread from the laundry room. Their quick actions clearly prevented a more serious fire in one of the city’s old and established buildings.”