Black Isle water pressure woes could have impeded Scottish Fire and Rescue Service response to house fire

Water pressure woes could have impeded the tackling of a devastating Black Isle house fire, it has emerged.

The fire on December 2 in Rosemarkie saw a woman treated from smoke inhalation at the scene. The blaze was brought under control by six Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews and an aerial platform was used to douse the property after the alarm was raised at 6pm.

At one point, it was feared the fire may be liable to spread to neighbouring Crawford Avenue properties.

But while crews battled the fire, they were also struggling to get enough water due to low pressure.

Area Commander Derek Wilson, SFRS senior officer for Highland, said: “We were alerted at 5.28pm on December 2 to reports of a dwelling fire at Crawford Avenue, Rosemarkie. Operations control mobilised six appliances and specialist resources to the scene, which included a water bowser from Inverness.

“Crews identified that hydrants were subject to low water pressure and a request was made to Scottish Water to increase water supplies.

"Firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging circumstances to control and extinguish a fire which affected a semi-detached property and helped to prevent a significant spread to adjacent properties."

Scottish Water said maintenance of hydrants was a joint responsibility with SFRS.

A spokeswoman said: "We were in liaison with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service throughout this incident and did everything practicable to meet the requirements of the appliances on site, while safeguarding the ability of our network to cope and continue to provide a consistent water supply to the hydrant.

“Fire hydrant maintenance and operability is a shared responsibility between Scottish Water and SFRS.”

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