• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Apocalyptic Scenes On UK Island Where Scientists Experimented With Anthrax

Home> News

Updated 12:20 28 Mar 2022 GMT+1Published 12:11 28 Mar 2022 GMT+1

Apocalyptic Scenes On UK Island Where Scientists Experimented With Anthrax

Scotland's Gruinard Island has gone up in the flames, leaving eyewitnesses to describe the blaze as 'apocalyptic'

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

Scotland's Gruinard Island has gone up in the flames, with eyewitnesses describing the blaze as 'apocalyptic'.

The uninhabited island was formerly used during World War Two for germ warfare amid fears of the Nazis having developed a biological bomb.

It became known as 'Anthrax island' because of the contamination from the bacteria. The bacteria, known as Bacillus anthracis, spreads an infectious disease that can prove fatal, particularly if inhaled.

Gruinard Island.
Northpix

Advert

The island - located off the north-west coast of Scotland - has since gone up in smoke from 'one end to the other,' as a result of a fire which first began on the evening of 26 March.

At around 8:30pm on Saturday, smoke could be smelt five miles away in Aultbea where Kate Gearing and her daughter Nessie live.

Having taken images of the blaze after driving to the coast, Nessie told STV News: "There was a string of flames around the whole circumference of the island.

The fire broke out on Saturday.
Northpix

"We could hear birds crying, screaming, and then suddenly there was silence - but the flames went on, it was awful."

Advert

The 25-year-old said the blaze looked like a 'hell fire'.

Porton Down previously tried to remove all anthrax spores from the island by setting it alight.

However, the spores appeared 'surprisingly resistant to degradation' when the soil was checked by experts.

In 1986, in a bid to return Gruinard to its condition pre WW2, the island was continuously treated with seawater and formaldehyde and tested by a team of scientists.

While the island was eventually declared free of Anthrax in 1990, it has remained uninhabited ever since.

Advert

Witnesses described the blazed as 'apocalyptic'.
Northpix

"The island is pretty black now. There's just a few trees left standing, along the shoreline.

"I'm just hoping there aren't any anthrax spores left around anywhere," Kate reflected.

However, the retired GP explained that the island is far enough away from the shore that it shouldn't pose a threat to the mainland.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service warned that the risk of wildfires was 'very high' earlier this week.

Advert

The island was declared free of Anthrax in 1990.
Northpix

However, it stated that because Gruinard Island is uninhabited, the area 'would not fall under [its] remit'.

Areas in the north-east, central and southern Scotland are potentially said to being subject to wildfires, with The Times having reported that blazes have also broken out near Ben Lomond and Lewis.

Featured Image Credit: Northpix

Topics: World War 2, UK News

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Mysterious bright green pigeon spotted in UK town has experts 'sounding the alarm'

    The bird has been attracting visitors from all over the country

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Distressing new bodycam footage shows police woman with bloodied face after Manchester Airport brawl

    Pc Lydia Ward suffered a broken nose following the incident at the Terminal 2 car park pay station area on 23 July, 2024

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Scientists dropped a cow carcass into the sea and it got some very unexpected visitors

    The visitors were reminiscent of a certain Finding Nemo character

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Doomsday prepper hoarding for WW3 shares everything on his list incase of global disaster

    Shahzad Kayani has stockpiled loads of essentials so that he is ready for anything

    News
  • Reason people won't live on remote 'paradise island' where Brits can move for free
  • ‘Traumatic' update on Brit ‘threatened with beheading' by gang to 'force her to smuggle' £200k worth of drugs
  • The only known recording of Hitler's normal speaking voice
  • Top adult star reveals 'really tough' impact new UK porn laws will have on industry