Fire tears through Scots home as residents evacuated in early hours horror

Eve Beattie

11 July 2024 at 10:33 am·2-min read

Fire crews at the scene of the blaze on Tomatin Road, Inverness — -Credit: (Image: PETER JOLLY NORTHPIX)

Residents have been evacuated after a fire ripped through a home in Inverness this morning.

Emergency services were scrambled to Tomatin Road in the south east of the city shortly after midnight on Thursday.

Four fire crews raced to the scene alongside a height appliance. Police Scotland were also in attendance at the blaze, arriving around 2am.

A number of residents were evacuated from their homes, while the row of shops that sit below the flats have been closed "until further notice".

Photos from the scene this morning show the devastation the inferno has caused, with a huge hole burnt out in the roof of one of the flats.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews can be seen on the ground, with two firefighters using the height appliance to inspect the damage inside.

Emergency services at the scene -Credit:Facebook: What's Happening Inverness

It is understood the fire was extinguished by 7am, but SFRS teams remain on the scene. It is not yet known if there are any injuries following the blaze.

Tomatin Road is currently locked down by cops. The force have launched a probe into the incident.

Posting on Facebook this morning, the Highlands and Islands division wrote: "We received a report of a fire at a property on Tomatin Road, Inverness, around 2.10am on Thursday, July 11.

"Emergency services are in attendance and a number of residents have been evacuated. Tomatin Road is closed and enquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing."

Fire crews remain at the scene of the incident -Credit:Facebook: What's Happening Inverness

The Wee Fabric Shop and the Utopia Cafe, two of the businesses in the block, confirmed they would be closed while the road was shut.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were alerted at 02.03am on Thursday, July 11, to reports of a fire at a flat at Tomatin Road, Inverness.

“Operations Control mobilised four appliances and a specialist height appliance to the scene, where crews extinguished the fire. Firefighters remain in attendance.”

Police Scotland have been approached for comment.

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