Firefghters have contained a fierce wildfire which broke out at the top end of Strath Naver in north Sutherland.
Ten members of the retained fire units at Tongue and Durness were joined by forestry workers in tackling the blaze which affected an extensive area of open land before spreading into Borgie Forest and a small privation forestry south of Loch Loyal.
A helicopter has been deployed by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) to waterbomb the outbreak which started on Sunday and reached its peak on Monday, swept by a strong east wind.
North Highland FCS district manager Malcolm MacDougall said the fire had threatened heavy treefelling machinery but it had been contained to the edge of the forest.
The blaze has been extinguished but the helicopter was being used yesterday to target potential rogue hotspots.
Mr MacDougall said: “The problem is that it can smoulder away under the tree roots and it’s almost impossible to identify any remaining hotspots.
“We will need to keep monitoring the situation over the next couple of days as there’s no rain forecast over this time and the ground is pretty dry.”
Fire crews contain fierce wildfire in north Sutherland
