Written byLaurence Ford

Fire crews were called to Inverness Castle just before 7am.

FIREFIGHTERS responded to an emergency call in the early hours of this morning following a blaze scare at iconic Inverness Castle.

Scottish Fire and Rescue were alerted to the fire in the castle at 6.49am.

Two appliances raced to the scene and were quickly able to trace the fire to a basement area.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus used a hose reel jet to quickly extinguish the fire before ventilating the building.

They also used a thermal imaging camera to check for any signs for fire spread.

The last appliance left the scene at 10.05am.

A SFRS spokesman said the fire is not being treated as deliberate, and no one was injured.

It was the second major alert in the city for the service which, on Tuesday evening, battled a blaze at an Inverness recycling centre.

Two fire engines were called to the Inverness Transfer Centre, on Henderson Drive, which manages around 50,000 tonnes of waste every year, just before 6pm.

Staff members were on site but no-one was injured, and fire crews left the scene just after 10pm having successfully brought the blaze under control.