Brothers taken to hospital after Sandwick fire

Two brothers were taken to hospital after a fire gutted their house in Sandwick this afternoon.

Geordie and Jim Halcrow from Noness, aged around 70 and 65 respectively, had been overcome by smoke inhalation.

Fire engines from both Sandwick and Lerwick attended the scene at about 2pm, along with an ambulance and police. The men were removed from the house and taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick. Their condition was later described as stable and they were being kept in overnight for observation.

A passer-by said the fire had been dampened down by around 4pm but the stone-built house was obviously extensively damaged. “It looks like a bulldozer job,” he added.

A spokeswoman for the fire service in Inverness said she was unable to comment on the situation as the incident was still ongoing.