There was drama in Highland Perthshire as a stash of ammunition and firearms forced firefighters to battle a ferocious blaze from outwith an exclusion zone.
A cordon was thrown up around Keepers Cottage at Innerhadden, Kinloch Rannoch after flames tore through the detached property on Thursday.
Officers from Tayside Police raised fears for the safety of fire crews after being made aware of the presence of live rounds within the cottage.
On their advice, firefighters withdrew to a safe distance after putting in place portable ground monitors to enable them to tackle the blaze remotely.
The alarm had been raised shortly after 7am and local volunteer firefighters were swiftly in attendance at the scene, in an isolated location down a farm track.
They described the property as “well alight” and sought further assistance from crews in Dunkeld and Pitlochry as they began to tackle what was soon being described as a “severe” fire.
It took around three hours for firefighters to have the fire under control, but they remained on scene throughout the day to extinguish the blaze fully and then continue to dampen down the remains.
The property was reduced to little more than a shell, with four walls enclosing a swamp of water and fire-blackened timbers and charred property.
Shell casings and burnt guns were visible within the cottage and scattered around the exterior. Firearms had to be removed from the burnt-out home and made safe.
No one was in the property at the time the fire broke out and there were no injuries reported. The cottage’s sole occupant, understood to be a gamekeeper, provided information about the items inside.
A spokeswoman for Tayside Police said the gamekeeper’s cottage had been found to be “well ablaze” when emergency services arrived.
“Due to their presence of licensed firearms and ammunition within the address, emergency workers retained a safe distance while dealing with the incident,” she said.
“Tayside Fire and Rescue required to dampen-down the severely damaged property, a process that took several hours.”
Tayside Police retained a presence at the scene long after the fire was fully extinguished as inquiries into the cause of the fire continued.
The spokeswoman said there were no apparent suspicious circumstances and no perceived risk to the public.
A Tayside Fire and Rescue spokesman said the incident made firefighters change their approach to extinguishing the fire.
“Live ammunition was stored within the house and as a result crews were withdrawn to a safe distance,” he said. “Crews then fought the fire from outwith a cordon.”
An additional appliance from Perth was sent to Dunkeld to offer cover in Highland Perthshire as local crews worked at Kinloch Rannoch.
It is the second time in five months that a property in Highland Perthshire has been devastated. In September, a £400,000 house on the banks of Loch Rannoch was hit by fire.