Horses and deaf dog saved as fire ripped through Orkney barn

Horses had to be rescued after a fire broke out in a barn at a property in Orkney.

Owner Sarah Reid said she battled through thick smoke to reach the animals, which were in a stable that adjoined the burning building - and her home - at Cruan, near Finstown.

Firefighters called to the incident extinguished the fire and found Reid's Jack Russell terrier, Brodie, who was inside the house but unable to hear calls to him because he is deaf.

Reid, who was helped by 16-year-old worker Mark Croy, described Friday's late night blaze as "pretty scary".

Reid, 53, who runs a dog play area at the premises, was watching TV when a sound alerted her to flames in the barn.

She called the fire service before going to the aid of her horses, managing to herd all but two of them from the stable.

One of the animals was a pony, which was terrified.

Reid told BBC Radio Orkney: "There was a lot of sparking and banging, and I just couldn't catch her in her stable.

"She just kept going round and round and round."

Teenager Croy, who had been helping out at Cruan on Friday, was eventually able to lead the pony away from the fire.

One horse remained to be saved.

Reid said: "By that time you could see nothing, absolutely nothing.

"So I caught her, but I couldn't see to get out the building so I had to let her go again."

Reid got a wet towel from her house and wrapped it round her head to try and protect herself against the smoke.

She then used her car's headlights to shine into the door of the stable and with Croy's help led the horse to safety.

Four fire engines, with crews from Kirkwall and Stromness, were sent to the incident.

Reid said the firefighters were "absolutely incredible" and were not stood down until about 07:40 on Saturday.

They extinguished the fire and found terrier Brodie.

Group commander David McGroarty, from Kirkwall Fire Station, said one of his colleagues located the dog in Reid's bedroom, cuddled up under a duvet.

He praised the crews' for their efforts, adding: "It's through their continued professionalism that they managed to protect Sarah's home and beloved dog."

Reid was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment for smoke inhalation.

"I'm still pretty croaky and if I talk for too much time I lose my voice," she said.

Reid and her husband Paul have temporarily moved in with their daughter due to smoke damage to their home.

"It didn't really happen until Sunday night that I started remembering things that had happened - it was pretty scary," said Reid.

Kirkwall Fire Station urged islanders with concerns around safety of outbuildings to contact the station for more information and to arrange a home fire safety visit.