Black Isle community rallies to women left stranded after campervan fire drama in Cromarty
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A fundraiser has been launched to help two women left stranded on the Black Isle after the campervan they were travelling in was virtually destroyed in a fire.
The drama unfolded in Cromarty on Friday evening when the duo parked up next to the beach, close to the town's Royal Hotel.
They looked on in horror as smoke and flames belched from the front cab of the vehicle, prompting them to get their two dogs out of the back to safety and then deploy their fire extinguisher and fire blanket.
One of the women, Helena Harvey, has already praised the local community for rallying around in their time of need.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) confirmed it had been alerted to the blaze at 7.13pm on Friday.
Two appliances were sent from Fortrose and Inverness.
The SFRS said it received a stop notice to state that the blaze had been extinguished at 9.13pm.
Now, a GoFundMe page has been launched in a bid to help the pair, one of whom was up visiting her father in a local care home.
The page set up by Ellie O'Brien states: "I hate having to do this but someone suggested it and to be honest anything would be helpful.
"On September 15, we parked up next to the beach in rural Scotland after visiting my Dad in a care home. As I got out the car, my friend screamed and I turned to see flames shooting up in the front cab.
"Running back we got the dogs out and I jumped in the back to get the fire extinguisher. When that was empty I jumped back in the back again to get the fire blanket out. Neither worked. The van was full of thick black smoke and we were very aware that it had 3/4 diesel in and a gas canister. So we moved to safety.
"999 was obviously called but due to where we were this took some time to get to us. The van burnt for almost an hour. The fire brigade were amazing as were the paramedics who checked us out for smoke inhalation and shock. They believe it was just a freak accident as the engine was off, keys out and no warning signs or suggestion of what caused this.
"The most important thing is we are safe. We got out and the two dogs got out as well. We are immensely lucky that this didn’t happen whilst we were asleep.
"However, it has left us stranded. The local people have been beyond amazing and rallied around us. But the van was our accommodation as well as our transport."
They are currently trying to resolve insurance issues but are some 500 miles from home in England, leaving the pair needing to cover accommodation and car hire costs.
A phone, laptop, clothes, medication, house keys and personal items were lost in the blaze.
While uncertain what insurance will cover, the page states: "Again, they are just possessions. Everything can be replaced and I’m so grateful this is not the worst case scenario.
"However for anyone who does want to help and is in a position to in these trying times this is the place to do it.
"Any help towards the accommodation and travel costs will be immensely appreciated. We have made the target £400 to cover our hotel and travel costs. However anything else donated will go towards replacing our clothes, my phone and personal items.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and even more so for any donation."
A number of locals have already offered support and contributed to the fundraiser. Others have responded to the duo's appeal for photos and video clips of the fire for insurance purposes.
The fundraising tally is already at almost £300 of the £400 target.
The 'emergency help due to fire' page can be found here.
