FIREFIGHTERS tackled a wildfire which consumed hundreds of metres of a Highland hillside amid tinderbox conditions in the north of Scotland.
Emergency services were called to a blaze in Achmelvich, near Ardoe in the west of Sutherland on Thursday evening.
Three fire engines were sent to the scene to tackle the wildfire, which was said to have stretched over a 200-metre front.
The fire service said no one was hurt in the blaze but that two crews remained on the scene to make the area safe.
Devastation on Ardroe. So utterly tragic. #Assynt pic.twitter.com/8NZXfJrMyH
— Dr Mandy Haggith (@cybercrofter) April 20, 2023
It comes after official warnings from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) about the heightened risk of wildfires this week owing to high winds, rising temperatures and low humidity.
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SFRS Station Commander, John Harvey said: “The threat of wildfire is very real, and we would therefore ask our communities to act safely and responsibly while in the countryside.
"Wildfire can devastate large areas of our environment and wildlife and has the potential to spread to nearby communities.
"We are asking people to act responsibly when enjoying the outdoors, dispose of cigarettes carefully and please think twice before using anything involving a naked flame."
A spokesperson for the fire service added: “We were alerted at 4.50pm on Thursday, April 20 to reports of a fire in the open in the Achmelvich area, near Ardroe.
“Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances and firefighters worked to extinguish a 200-metre fire front.
"No reported casualties have been reported. Two crews remain in attendance working to make the area safe.”
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