Flood of compassion from kind-hearted Nairn residents hailed after devastating fire destroys 8 flats
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THE flood of compassion shown by Nairn residents after a devastating fire destroyed eight flats in the town has been hailed by a local councillor.
Barbara Jarvie, who represents the Nairn and Cawdor ward, hailed the "instant compassion" and lightning-quick speed with which the community has rallied round.
Within hours of the fire starting fundraisers had already been set up by concerned residents eager to chip in and help ease the burden of those families affected.
By this morning more than £2000 had already been raised, and at the time of writing that had climbed to more than £2500.
Businesses and community groups have also rallied round, with the Boath House hotel offering free accommodation last night to those who had lost their homes, and the Nairn Legion offering its lounge today as a "welcome meeting place" for those fire-hit residents looking for support.
Cllr Jarvie said the speed of the community response illustrated why Nairn was such a great community to live in, and hailed the "fantastic" kind-hearted gestures.
"The caring people of Nairn leapt into action with such speed. A couple of funders were in town going round soon after the fire and people were really early to respond. It's so thoughtful and shows that Nairn is the place to be – it has fabulous locals."
Related: UPDATE: Roof collapses at blazing block of flats in Nairn
She added that Highland Council has a "resilience" plan that also swings into action in the event of such incidents, and she had checked with council officers to ensure that the local authority had stepped in as planned to offer support and help the families as they attempt to piece their shattered lives back together.
She added that such efforts would help to provide vital support to the shocked families.
"The shock of that happening to your home," she continued. "It must be quite hard thinking where to start first [to pick up the pieces]. It's a disaster for these families. [The damage] is a horrendous mess and shows how quick fire can spread.
"It's really unfortunate what has happened, but thankfully no-one is dead and my gratitude goes out to the services involved for keeping everyone safe."
Among the kind-hearted responses from concerned residents were the creation of crowdfunding pages, with Jenny Fountain creating a GoFundMe page for those affected which had already raised £1510 by 1pm on Saturday, while Lindsay Crichton had set up a JustGiving page that stood at precisely £1000.
The Boath House hotel at Auldearn had also promised to help "however we can".
Taking to social media shortly after the fire, they said: "Following today's fire down at the harbour, Boath House would liek to offer rooms tonight and breakfast to anyone displaced free of charge. Heartbroken for all involved.
"We have one room in the main house, as well as a four-bedroom lodge for nayone in need of somewhere to stay.
"Get in touch with us – we'll help however we can."
