A shopkeeper has told how he and another man charged into a block of flats and got people out after smoke was spotted belching from the building yesterday.
The fire started in the extraction system of a chip shop in Oban town centre, a spokeswoman for the fire service said.
Crews were called to the first floor flats above Norrie’s chip shop on George Street at 11.20am.
The spokeswoman said: “Both appliances from Oban attended, as well as an aerial appliance from Clydebank and an appliance from Inveraray.
“They used powerful hoses on the fire and worked at the scene until just before 5pm.
“I believe it was the extraction system in the ground floor at the chip shop. It had spread to the first floor flat.
“Crews cut away parts of the building to make sure the fire hadn’t spread.
“We have got no notification of any casualties.”
Alasdair McBurnie, manager of Timpson’s shoe repair, key cutting and engraving shop across the road, raised the alarm.
Mr McBurnie said: “I was standing at the door talking to my friend. We looked up and there was some smoke coming out of the building. It started getting worse. I went round the back where I could see the smoke was pouring out of the back of the place.
“I turned round and started battering the close door and pressing the buzzers.
“Eventually we got the door open and the smoke was thick in the close.
“We were waiting to let it clear when a taxi driver who stays in one of the flats came up behind me.
“He ran straight in there. His friend who was on night shift was in there sleeping.
“I banged the next door and told a girl in there she had better get out.
“I went to the next flat. The door was open so I went in and there was a guy in sleeping. I told him the building was on fire, he needed to get out.
“It was lucky it happened during the day or it might not have been spotted so quickly.”
There were traffic delays in the town centre while crews dealt with the incident.
