Buckie crew help fight fire
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FIRE crews from Buckie and Huntly were among more than 30 firefighters to tackle a major grass blaze on Monday night.
The call came in at 8.55pm that there was a blaze beside the old railway line in Cummingston, near Burghead.
The units tasked to the scene included a water carrier from Buckie, incident command unit from Altens, a welfare pod from Huntly - which looks after the needs of firefighters at a major incident - and a forestry pod from Elgin. There were also general pumps from Rothes, two from Forres, one from Fochabers, one from Elgin and a pump from Lossiemouth.
Crews extinguished the fire using two main jets, a high pressure lance from the all-terrain vehicle, a light portable pump, knapsack sprayers and fire beaters. The fire was brought under control at 12.12am on Tueday morning.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF) has been warning the public about the increased risk of wildfire.
They are reminding the public to be extra careful during this period of heightened risk and not to carelessly dispose of smoking materials, ensure BBQs are properly extinguished and try to avoid setting campfires.
The public are urged to call 999 if they see what they believe to be a wildfire with no obvious signs of people managing it.
Chair of the Scottish Wildfire Forum and Deputy Assistant Chief Officer for the North service delivery area, Andy Coueslant, said: "We continue to raise awareness about wildfires in an effort to reduce the number of these incidents across the country.
"Information and advice is readily available about preventing countryside fires, such as the Muirburn Code and Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
"We want people to Join Scotland’s Fight Against Fire and we are urging communities, tourists and visitors to be aware of the heightened risk of wildfire at this time of year.
