Inverness cafe owner tries to rebuild life after escaping fatal Hilton flat blaze

An Inverness cafe owner has spoken about how she fled a devastating fire in which her former partner died and how she is trying to put her life back together.

Gemma Taylor (43) lost former partner Andy Adams - who is also the father of their daughter Rebecca - when the blaze broke out in her flat above a row of shops in Tomatin Road, Hilton, in the early hours of July 11.

Ms Taylor, who started the popular Blend Tea and Coffee Merchants café in Drummond Street with Mr Adams 11 years ago, has reflected on how the impact of that night is making her reassess her priorities in life as she seeks a buyer for the business.

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Ms Taylor, who was asleep with her partner of 18 months, recalled waking up and realising there was a fire in the flat.

“It was terrifying especially when it is the middle of the night and you have been asleep,” she said.

“It is something you never think about having to deal with.”

Describing the scene, she recalled: “There was heat and flames and thick black smoke. I was just in total shock.”

She tried to alert Mr Adams who was in his own bedroom.

“I couldn’t even see or tell where he was,” Ms Taylor recalled.

Eventually she and her partner had to leave the flat while other occupants in the block of four flats also escaped - one occupant jumped out of a window.

Fortunately, her daughter (15) was not at home that night.

“I cannot imagine what might have happened if she had been there,” she said.

After a resident further down the street called the emergency services five fire crews spent five hours putting out the blaze.

Three months on, Ms Taylor has been unable to return to the flat which was her home for 17 years.

“As the shock wears off, you realise the full impact of it,” she said.

“We still have not had access. We have not seen inside since July 11 because the building is unstable.

“Until more repair work has been done on the roof, we cannot go in.”

When she fled the fire, all she had was a Fitbit on her wrist and a hoodie in her car.

Ms Taylor, who is currently living with her parents, decided to reopen Blend several days after the fire partly because of financial necessity.

“It was a nightmare,” she said.

“Your head is not there at all and I felt I was in a daze.

“After that first week or so, it was good to have something to focus on.”

But she is seeking a new owner for the business - although she acknowledged it will be difficult to let go.

Mr Taylor and Mr Adams - who first met when they worked together at Rocpool Reserve in Inverness - opened Blend in the summer of 2013.

“There are so many memories in that building and I have lost the other place with my memories and keepsakes,” she said.

“It is very much a part of the family.

“My daughter was only four when it opened and I remember her running around here.

“It is a big part of of my life.

“It is difficult but I need to be able to take time off and to step away from being in charge of somewhere.

“I have no plans but I just need something with minimal responsibility for now.”

She also paid tribute to her regular customers for their support.

She said the fire had made her start to reassess her life.

“It’s made me more determined for family time to be prioritised first in my life,” she said.

The business is for sale with Rightmove at a reduced price of £20,000.

The brochure describes it as having “an established reputation and offering an excellent selection of freshly prepared items complemented by a wide range of beverages, throughout the day”.

It states: “This unique business has a healthy local support, both from passing shoppers and from regular business clientele, plus from the influx of tourists in the main season which generates strong demand.”

Police Scotland said inquiries in the fire are still ongoing.

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