Historic building gutted by early hours blaze

One of Fort William’s historic buildings in the town’s West End has been almost totally destroyed by a blaze which broke out in the early hours of Monday morning.

Fire appliances and crews from Fort William, Kinlochleven and Oban rushed to the town’s Station Square after the alarm was raised around 3.55am.

Firefighters battled flames and smoke throughout the night, but the Pier Head chip shop and takeaway, the John Wilson Barber Shop and a beauty salon were gutted.

Fire crews remained at the scene for a number of hours after the fire was extinguished to monitor the building for remaining hotspots.

In a statement,

Police

Scotland, which had officers on site assisting the firefighters, told the Lochaber Times: ‘Around 3.55am on Monday December 7, police were called to a report of a fire in Station Square, Fort William.’

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service added: ‘Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances and one height appliance to the scene and firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. There were no reported casualties.’

The A82 southbound dual carriageway was closed to ensure the emergency services had room to operate.

Posting on his Facebook page on Monday, Mr Wilson of the

Firefighters examine the ruined remains on Monday.

barber shop thanked residents for their messages of support: ‘Dear people of Fort William, thank you so much for all your kind words. It means a lot.

‘I am heartbroken with losing the shop and thanks for all the nice offers which I will think over and decide what to do.’

By Tuesday, Mr Wilson was saying he was hopeful he could be back trading soon at an alternative location.

Aylie McMinn, owner of the Aylz, Nailz and beauty salon, which was also damaged in the fire, posted on social media: ‘Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with offers of help, support and spaces to use in the meantime. You have no idea how much it means.’