Fair Isle Bird Observatory & Guesthouse

Fair Isle Bird Observatory fire

Site clearance

The intensity of the fire at the Obs was such that nothing at all other than the metal staircases remained. It was quite surreal to see a building of that size reduced to such a relatively small amount of debris.

obs
The Obs taken on 21st March 2019.

We wished to clear the site as soon as possible for a variety of reasons. Aesthetically for the Isle it was unsightly. There was always the possibility of the debris being a danger and we wanted to ensure no environmental damage ensued.

This could only happen after all relevant parties had completed their relevant investigations of the debris. Fortunately, that was completed quite quickly.

Fair Isle Building Services were then contracted to clear the site. Notwithstanding the amount of debris, this was still a considerable task given everything had to be removed from the Isle. They quickly got to work and the site has now been fully cleared. We would like to thank them for all their endeavours.

obs foundations
The foundations of the Obs are all that remain after clearing up after the fire, 19th July 2019. © Susannah Parnaby

Shetland Islands Council also assisted us greatly with the provision of ferry services which enabled us to move everything off the Isle. We are very grateful for this invaluable help.

2nd September 2019