A family from Kiltarlity have been left devastated for a second time after their home was destroyed just months after one of them was killed in a horror crash.
Businessman Andrew Griffin, 39, died in an accident in September.
And neighbours revealed it was his family home that went up in flames on Tuesday afternoon, in a blaze that took firefighters over 19 hours to beat.
The detached property went up in flames at about 4.45pm and was fully engulfed in just 35 minutes.
Firefighters battled the blaze well into yesterday in a bid to save the family home.
Local resident Colin MacRae, from nearby Foxhole Farm, said another neighbour called to warn him of the fire as they were worried it might have involved his property.
He said: “We were up visiting neighbours when we got a call telling us there was a fire at Foxhole. We took a run up to the house and we could see flames two to three hours later. Andrew Griffin, who died in a crash last year, lived in the property.”
The house was empty at the time of the fire. It is understood Mr Griffin’s family was at a funeral in England.
Four appliances were in attendance at the scene – two from Beauly and one each from Drumnadrochit and Inverness – as well as a water carrier from Inverness.
A full investigation is underway to pinpoint the cause of the fire with teams working alongside SSE and police to determine the cause.
Incident Commander, Station Manager for Inverness Ross Nixon spoke at the scene of the fire saying: “We worked hard to try and save the property but there was a significant fire in the property and we are now in the process of carrying out an investigation as to the cause of the fire with ourselves and in liaison with Police Scotland. Fortunately there was no-one in the property at the time so no lives were lost however, it’s tragic that a family home has been lost.”
Andrew Griffin died following an accident on the A833 near Kiltarlity around 10.30pm on Sunday, September 3.
The businessman was driving a white Volkswagen Polo when he collided with a tree a few miles from his home. The Beauly to Drumnadrochit route was closed for five hours to enable a collision investigation to take place.
Aird and Loch Ness councillor, Helen Carmichael, who lives in nearby Beauly, added: “My heart goes out to the family at this difficult time. It’s a sad state of affairs.
“Kiltarlity is having a very hard time of it at the moment.”
The fire comes days after local father Wlilliam Williamson, known as John, died in a crash involving a bike and a car.
