Firefighters thanked for saving chip shop
Firefighters have been praised for saving an Oban chip shop.
Fire broke out in two outbuildings at the back of Oban Fish and Chip Shop in George Street during the early hours of Sunday, sending flames shooting into the sky.
Although the sheds were destroyed and thousands of pounds of stock lost, the shop and restaurant escaped damage.
Owner Lillian Hutchison said the firefighters were heroes.
‘If it wasn’t for them, the whole business would have been lost. They did a marvellous job and saved it. They are my heroes,’ she said.
Fire forensics are due before the weekend to try to discover what started the blaze.
‘We haven’t a clue at the moment. It could be electrics...we will have to keep an open mind until forensics have been,’ said Mrs Hutchison.
Police broke news of the fire with a phone call to Mrs Hutchinson at 3am on June 27.
‘It was terrifying when we got there. I thought it was coming out of the shop but it was out the back. There are flats and houses there. Thankfully no-one got hurt. It could’ve been much worse. Someone could’ve got killed,’ she added.
Loss adjustors will be visiting the business this week to count the cost of the fire but there could be about £10,000 of stock lost plus the value of the large sheds, which were burned to the ground.
‘There must’ve been at least £5,000 of fish in the freezers then there was other stock, the oil, potatoes, our boxes – the freezers themselves,’ said Mrs Hutchison.
‘It’s terrible, just at this time when we are trying to get up and running and back to some kind of normality from Covid and lockdown,’ she added.
Police said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.
Stephanie Jade McNiven lives next to the outbuildings and was woken by a neighbour ringing her doorbell to warn her.
‘The flames were coming across. It got big really quickly. As I walked out of my house the fire crews were already there. We had the Appin crew there as well. They all did a great job and stayed for hours to make sure everything was out. I was told to stay out of the houses until it was over and then they came in to check it was all safe and I was okay. Police and ambulance were also there waiting in case they were needed. Well done to our emergency services,’ she said.