Police issue plea over blaze at Ullapool care home

POLICE yesterday appealed for witnesses to a suspicious fire which severely damaged a refurbished Wester Ross care home to come forward.

Lochbroom House, in the middle of Ullapool, had just undergone a £1.1million refurbishment before it was damaged by the blaze on Sunday.

Northern Constabulary and the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service launched a joint investigation following the outbreak.

Yesterday, a police spokesman confirmed that the blaze was being treated as suspicious, and urged anyone who was in the area at the time or who saw anybody acting suspicious to contact them.

Officials of Highland Council, which runs the care home, said that the six elderly residents will continue to stay in the Ullapool Hotel until repairs have been completed.

The six residents have been staying there for the duration of the refurbishment, which began on July 2008.

Along with staff members, they were due to move back into the home this week.

A council spokeswoman said that, until its own building control team had been inside the property, it would be unclear how long it will take to repair the fire damage, or how much the damage will cost to repair.

Firefighters were quickly on the scene at about 10am on Sunday and were able to prevent the fire from spreading.

At its height about 20 fighters were tackling the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the roof, part of which collapsed.

The refurbishment included a new lift, upgrading of all 10 rooms to provide en-suite facilities, a new heating system and improved access for wheelchairs.

Local councillor Jean Urquhart described the fire as “tragic”, but added that it was fortunate that no one was in the building at the time.

Anyone with information should contact police or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.