Wildfire that burned for two days extinguished

A wildfire that burned for two days in the west Highlands has been extinguished.

Firefighters were alerted to the fire in hills near Kyle of Lochalsh at about 10:20 on Wednesday.

A helicopter was brought in on Thursday to waterbomb the flames.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said at its peak, the wildfire was burning along a front of almost four miles (6km) in an area of grass, gorse and woodland.

It said the incident was over by 06:45 on Friday.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said about 1,235 acres (500 acres) of land on its Balmacara Estate had been affected.

A helicopter waterbombs the fire on Thursday

SFRS said: "There were no casualties and firefighters are no longer at the scene."

Owners of nearby properties have praised the actions of firefighters and the helicopter crew.

NTS said the flames had come close to some properties.

Iain Turnbull, Balmacara Estate property manager, said: “Scottish fire and rescue did an outstanding job of controlling and eventually extinguishing the blaze.

“I also want to pay tribute to Skyhook Helicopters for their role in fighting the blaze and also to the local volunteers and members of the community who looked after the firefighters throughout the incident, providing them with food and refreshments."

He said the cause of the blaze was not yet known.

The wildfire was one of a number across north and west Scotland, and came during a period of heightened fire risk due to dry weather and large areas of dead and dried-out vegetation.

Owners of properties near the scene have praised the response to the fire