A celebrated Perthshire artist had a lucky escape after her kiln exploded and wiped out half of her workshop.
Jane Woodford was working on a new collection of ceramics for the Open Studios event when her trusted gas-fired oven burst into flames.
She managed to remove four propane gas cylinders from the converted outhouse before the fire took hold.
Fire crews were called to the Kinnaird Ceramics workshop, at the top of a steep hill near Inchture, on Thursday.
Firefighters, using hose reel jets and breathing apparatus, took more than an hour to bring the blaze under control and stop it spreading to Mrs Woodford’s home and surrounding woods.
Mrs Woodford insisted that, despite the setback, her Open Studios show will go ahead.
“I’m really not sure what happened,” she said. “I’ve been using this kiln for about 20 years and it has always been very reliable and never given me any problems.”
The oven uses propane gas and can reach heats of 1,000 degrees. “I was just finishing off some lustre glaze platters and bowls when these flames flashed out at me from the kiln,” she said. “I called to my husband for help then ran round the back of the building to turn off the gas.
“But I had to go back inside and trundle out the propane cylinders. Although I was in a state, it was one thing that I knew I had to do.”
Mrs Woodford managed to salvage some other personal belongings, including one of her own books on ceramics which is now out of print.
“By the time the fire service got here, the flames were licking the trees behind the workshop,” she said. “I thought I had lost everything.
“People have been telling me: At least you are all right, that’s the main thing. But it is still heartbreaking for me.
“There was hours and hours’ worth of work inside that kiln,” she said. “The workshop is going to need to be restored with a new roof.”
Fortunately, a showroom next to the workshop was untouched and will be open today as part of the Perthshire event, giving the public the chance to see work by 240 artists at 143 venues.