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Large wildfire on Isle of Lewis put out

Murdo Macaulay Wildfire at AchmoreMurdo Macaulay
Firefighters, coastguard teams and estate staff tackled the wildfire at Achmore

Firefighters have extinguished a large wildfire on Lewis.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was first alerted to the fire at Achmore, near Loch nan Eilean, just after midday on Saturday.

The last fire crew was finally able to leave the scene at 21:35 on Monday.

At its height, six fire appliances and about 30 firefighters, helped by volunteers, tackled flames along two fire fronts, each almost a mile long.

An SFRS spokeswoman said: “There were no reported casualties and crews are currently not in attendance. 

Coastguard, airport firefighters, mountain rescuers and estate staff have been helping to battle the flames.

The fire came at a time of heightened risk of wildfires in parts of Scotland due to dry weather and large areas of dead vegetation.

Other incidents included fires on Ben Lomond in the Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, on Gruinard Island in Wester Ross and near Dornoch.

Tuesday has seen a change in the weather with cold and wet conditions. Snow and ice have been forecast for later in the week.

  • A large wildfire on Lewis in the Western Isles has been extinguished.
  • The fire at Achmore was reported to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service just after midday on Saturday.
  • The last firefighters left the scene on Monday night.
  • At its height, six fire appliances and about 30 firefighters, helped by volunteers, tackled flames along two fire fronts, each almost a mile long.