Fire destroys porch

HOUSEHOLDERS have been warned not to leave combustible materials next to heaters after a fire severely damaged the porch of a house outside Lerwick.

Two fire crews from Lerwick raced out to the blaze at Nordavtn, by the old observatory south of the town, at 8.30pm on Monday evening.

It took them an hour to extinguish the fire that wrecked the porch and some wood cladding on the outside of the property, and caused smoke damage throughout the building.

The crews also had to cut away part of the roof and use thermal imaging camera to make sure the fire had not spread further.

Afterwards a local fire service spokesman said that people should avoid leaving clothing, paper or plastic material next to any kind of heater, including storage heaters.

He added that people should check and maintain their smoke alarms to ensure they get sufficient warning of any fire.

The Sandwick fire crew were called out on Monday afternoon to pump flood water out of a house in Bigton.