Dramatic pictures and video show fire crews tackling another moorland blaze in Caithness
Dramatic pictures and video show local fire crews dealing with another wildfire at Reaster near Bower on Wednesday afternoon.
The video and images were captured by Kirsty Moore and clearly show how difficult it is for the personnel to contain moorland fires as the blaze creeps along the ground and engulfs woodland.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) spokesperson said: “We had the call at 1.49pm and had crews from Thurso and Wick along with a specialist appliance from Lybster attending a site near Bowermadden.
“There were 12 crew there and the last appliance left at 4.55pm.”
SFRS had warned of the high risk of wildfires before two serious blazes broke out on moorland next to John Kennedy Drive in Thurso last Thursday and Friday.
Nearby residents were told to keep windows and doors shut during both incidents, which police are now appealing for information on after believing that the moorland was deliberately set ablaze.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are appealing for information in relation to two large scale fires set on moorland above John Kennedy Drive, Ormlie, Thurso.
“The fires were reported to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service around 3.30pm on Thursday, April 10, and 4pm on Friday, April 11.
“This was an extremely dangerous and reckless act, especially so given the very high and extreme wildfire risks we have been facing recently and the proximity to local houses.
“If you have any information, or you saw people setting fires to get in touch with us via 101 or online, quoting ‘incident 2263 of April 10’.”
Local weather pundit Keith Banks warns that the dry spell is likely to continue for some time, and the risk of more wildfires will remain high.
“The prospects of any significant amounts of rain falling over Caithness in the foreseeable future are unlikely,” he said in a report.