Firefighting ferry crew praised after tackling bird nest blaze under car bonnet

The Bressay ferry and, insert, Carly Westmoreland's car after the fire was extinguished. 

Ferry crew turned firefighters when a bird nest blaze broke out under a car bonnet on the Bressay crossing.

Carly Westmoreland has paid thanks to the quick-thinking crew whom she credits with saving her vehicle and avoiding a potential disaster.

Ms Westmoreland was on the 8.10am ferry from Bressay to Lerwick with her 20-month-old daughter on Tuesday when she saw smoke coming from the bonnet of her Suzuki Jimny.

“It started very quickly,” she said.

“I rushed to get my daughter out of the car and by the time I turned around the boys had the fire out.

“They were super quick.”

Ms Westmoreland, who lives in Bressay, had been headed to the Mainland to take her daughter to Hame Fae Hame in Scalloway before going to work.

Had the fire started anywhere else on her journey, Ms Westmoreland fears she would have been unable to put it out in time and her car would have been damaged beyond repair.

After the fire was made safe, it was clear the culprit had been a bird’s nest.

It is currently breeding season for many bird species and starlings, in particular, have a habit of building their nests in car bonnets.

The RSPB often issues a warning around this time of year reminding people to check their vehicles for nests, especially if they have not been driven for a while. 

Ms Westmoreland had recently returned from a two week holiday in Turkey.

“I never thought to check it, which I know I should have done,” she said.

“My advice to other drivers is to check daily because it can happen so quickly”

Ms Westmoreland has also expressed her gratitude to the crew.

“I’m really thankful for all the ferry boys,” she said.

“I know them very well and if it wasn’t for them, I’m pretty sure the car would have been a write-off, so I’m very grateful.”

Pairs of starlings can make a nest in just a few hours and, because of the materials they use, such as dry grass, straw and feathers, they are highly combustible.