Crews tackle series of wildfires across Scotland
Warnings in place until end of Sunday as police treat one blaze as deliberate.
Firefighters have tackled a series of wildfires across Scotland over the weekend amid an “extreme” warning in place across parts of the country.
A flurry of grass fires across the west coast and the Highlands, along with a fire in the north east, posed a challenge for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) amid a spell of dry and windy weather.
Fire crews were called to the scene of the wildfire near Tarbet in Argyll and Bute, at 2.43pm on Saturday. Two appliances were initially deployed, but at the height of the incident, four appliances and specialist resources were at the scene.
With the grass fire continuing to burn overnight near to the Tarbet Hotel in Arrochar, the SFRS maintained an appliance on site to monitor the blaze.
Come Sunday morning, the service had deployed three fire engines and specialist resources at the scene. The SFRS said one fire engine was at the site as of 2.15pm on Sunday.
At Loch Fionn near Lochinver, the SFRS was also called to a five mile-long blaze shortly before 2pm on Saturday
The Assynt Foundation, which manages the land, and workers from neighbouring estates used leafblowers to help extinguish the flames.
Three fire crews attended and were on scene for more than two hours.
A grass fire was also reported near Struan on the Isle of Skye at around 2.30pm on Saturday, with three crews working for two hours to extinguish the blaze.
Meanwhile, on Ugie Beach in Peterhead, three fire engines were sent to a blaze just before 9pm. It was extinguished two hours later. Police Scotland said it was being treated as deliberate and inquiries were ongoing.
It comes just days after the SFRS tackled a large grass fire in Aberdeen. Six appliances and specialist vehicles were sent to the blaze at Kincorth Hill, a popular nature reserve known locally as ‘The Gramps’, on Thursday evening.
An “extreme risk of wildfire” warning issued by the fire service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum has been in place across western Scotland since Friday.
In central and eastern Scotland, a very high risk of wildfire warning has been in place over the same period.
With older, dead vegetation on hillsides, woodlands and other outdoor spaces, the warnings remain in place until the end of Sunday.
People are urged to avoid lighting outdoor fires in those areas throughout the warning period.
Only last month, the Scottish government launched a new strategic action plan to try and address the “serious and escalating threat” posed by wildfires.
Thousands of hectares of precious peatland, woodland and moorland habitats were destroyed in blazes last year, with the wildfire around Carrbridge and Dava Moor the latest such incident ever recorded in the UK.
Deputy assistant chief officer Kenny Barbour, head of prevention at the SFRS and chairman of the Scottish Wildfire Forum, said: “Wildfires have the potential to destroy property, landscapes and wildlife, which is why it is so important that members of the public use extreme caution under these conditions.
“People living in the impacted areas should avoid lighting outdoor fires and be mindful that one spark can spread causing a large amount of damage. Remember, there’s no such thing as a harmless fire.”
“Share wildfire warnings with your family, friends, and visitors. And if anyone spots a large outdoor fire, please report it immediately by calling 999, providing your location, and any other relevant information so we can respond quickly.”
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