Blaze damages Black Watch base in Iraq

A LARGE fire broke out at the Black Watch’s base in Iraq last night, exploding ammunition and sending flames leaping 40ft into the sky.

Members of the Royal Engineers used diggers to douse the flames with sand.

The fire started at about 6:30pm local time and lasted for about an hour.

Soldiers nearby were ordered to evacuate their quarters and move away to a safe distance. There were no casualties.

It was unclear how the fire started, but senior officers said it was an accident.

Meanwhile, a former Black Watch padre, the Rev Norman Drummond, yesterday criticised plans to merge the regiment at a service marking 50 years of the Kirk of the Black Watch at the regiment’s Perth base.