Two devastating fires in Shetland should act as a warning to the modular building industry, it has been claimed.

The world-famous Fair Isle Bird Observatory was lost in 2019, followed last year by the Moorfield Hotel.

Both buildings were less than 10 years old and made from factory-built units, which had been shipped up to Shetland by sea.

One expert has called for a full investigation into why the fires took hold so quickly.

Both blazes were particularly severe, and fire crews were unable to stop the spread. No-one was injured in either incident.

The observatory had no guests when it was destroyed in March 2019. Susannah and David Parnaby, who were its warden and administrator at the time, had been out when the fire started.

The wing of the observatory housing the flat where they lived for a decade was the last section to burn.

“I stayed until it was dark,” Mrs Parnaby said. “Where our flat was, that was the last wall to completely burn. I stayed till that point – you know, you’ve got to see it out, got to witness it, in a weird way.”

The couple, who have two children, were made redundant earlier this year but have managed to stay on the island as crofters.

The Moorfield Hotel had 70 occupants on the night it caught fire in July 2020. It was due to close a week later having lost its contract to house gas plant workers.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) investigation into the Fair Isle blaze was inconclusive, stating that the blaze was likely to have started in the roof space.

The SFRS is still investigating the Moorfield Hotel fire, but police said their inquiry was finished, having found no suspicious circumstances.

Modular construction is currently enjoying a boom. It is seen as cost-effective, quick and greener; the UK government wants 25% of new affordable homes to be modular.

However, some experts are worried that there is also a fire risk and are pointing to the Shetland fires as a warning.

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