Blair Castle saved from fire

Mar 15 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

BLAIR CASTLE staff helped save the historic building when they fought a blaze which broke out in the clock tower.

Seven fire appliances and 50 firefighters raced to the castle last Thursday night after flames were spotted rising from the clock tower at the south end of the castle where a chimney fire had broken out above a wood chip boiler.

Thankfully the castle was empty at the time and the few residents were quickly evacuated by Atholl’s Estate staff, who tackled the fire before the 8.45pm arrival of Tayside Fire and Rescue appliances.

Tayside Fire and Rescue incident commander Rab Middlemiss described how firefighters tackled the blaze. He said: “The first fire crew on the scene from Pitlochry arrived just as the roof of the clock tower collapsed on to the floor below.

Debris

“The weight of the debris and the developing fire soon resulted in this floor subsequently crashing down onto the next floor level. By this time, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus had positioned themselves within the two residential wings that adjoin the clock tower and they were successful in containing the fire and preventing it spreading laterally to other parts of the castle.

“Our aerial appliance was used to fight the fire from above whilst we liaised with staff to establish which artefacts would be required to be removed from the building as part of a well-rehearsed salvage plan we have in place. Due to the success of our firefighting operations it was determined that these items could be protected within the building and did not need to be removed.

“The adjoining building was thoroughly checked by firefighters using thermal imaging cameras to detect any further fire spread and crews remained at the scene throughout the night to ensure that the fire was fully extinguished.”

Mr Middlemiss praised the actions of all those involved: “Through a combination of the swift actions of castle staff and our firefighters, particularly those first crews to arrive at the scene, this fire was contained to the clock tower building.”

He added: “We’re aware of the importance of Blair Castle so we were glad to have played our part within what was a large-scale team effort with castle staff and our colleagues from the emergency services.

“This incident emphasised the importance of having well-rehearsed fire action plans in buildings of historical importance. On this occasion these plans ensured the safety of residents and resulted in no damage to the many priceless artefacts within the castle.”

Atholl Estates’ manager Andrew Bruce Wootton pledged the fire-ravaged clock tower would be restored as quickly as possible, while all 30 rooms on public display, artefacts and exhibits were untouched by the blaze, and the castle was able to be open as usual on Saturday.

“The fire department and the structural engineer have now inspected the damaged area and deemed it safe and the Atholl Estates works team are clearing the debris to allow power to be restored.

“Further remedial work will take place over the coming days. We look forward to restoring the clock tower as quickly as possible and we will keep all our visitors informed as work progresses.”

Mr Bruce Wootton concluded: “We are very thankful to the fire department, police and estate staff for their dedication and quick action in controlling and limiting the extent of the fire.”