People warned to stay indoors as wildfire spreads near Inverness
Scottish Highlands wildfire: People warned to stay indoors and close all windows as huge plumes of smoke spread near Inverness on hottest day of the year
- Fire started close to aravan park at 2.45pm on Scotland’s hottest day with 26.7C
- Images show large plumes of grey smoke in the sky above Meallmore Hill
Firefighters are tackling a wildfire with huge plumes of smoke spreading near Inverness on the hottest day of the year today.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Police Scotland on Saturday warned people to stay indoors and close all windows and doors, to prevent inhaling smoke, in the village of Daviot in the Highlands.
The fire started close to a caravan park at about 2.45pm on Saturday during what has been the hottest day of the year so far in Scotland.
A temperature of 26.7C was recorded in Auchincruive in Ayrshire and 23C in Inverness.
Images posted on Twitter show large plumes of grey smoke in the sky above Meallmore Hill.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Police Scotland on Saturday warned people to stay indoors and close all windows and doors, to prevent inhaling smoke, in the village of Daviot in the Highlands.
The fire started close to a caravan park at about 2.45pm on Saturday during what has been the hottest day of the year so far in Scotland
Images posted on Twitter show large plumes of grey smoke in the sky above Meallmore Hill
A ‘very high’ wildfire warning which was in place until Saturday has been extended until Monday, the SFRS said.
The fire follows one near Cannich in the Highlands, which began on May 28 and is believed to be one of the largest in the UK.
Firefighters said the total area covered by the fire was about 30 square miles.
Police Scotland and SFRS asked local residents to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke.
This Saturday has been marked the hottest day of the year as the UK bakes in 30°C heat.
The extreme heat in some areas today may be hotter than Marbella, Ibiza and Tenerife, as amber heat alerts have also been raised.
Storms are on the way tonight, with further warnings issued in large parts of the UK with the potential to cause travel chaos and power cuts later on.
A ‘very high’ wildfire warning which was in place until Saturday has been extended until Monday, the SFRS said (file image)
The fire follows one near Cannich in the Highlands, which began on May 28 and is believed to be one of the largest in the UK (pictured)
Hail could even be on the cards, according to the Met Office, which explained that rising warm air from the south could bring a mix of conditions.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber alert for hot weather until 9am on Monday in the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East and South West.
Continued hot weather has raised fears of wildfires as summer commences.
Heatwaves last year saw thousands of fires break out across the UK – even destroying homes in Wennington, east London.
This year has already seen hundreds of grass, heath and moorland infernos, and one of the UK’s largest ever has been burning in the Scottish Highlands for the past two weeks.
Matt Oakley, a fire investigations officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue, is one of the UK’s national wildfire tactical advisors, specialist officers who already have the skills learnt abroad and who will be training units.
He says the kind of techniques he’s seen used in hotspots as far-flung as France and South Africa will be vital in the UK in the years to come.
‘Our climate is changing – it’s changing beyond recognition. What used to be a nine to 12-year cycle, this is every year now,’ he said.
‘We are heading towards a northern Mediterranean climate in the south-east of England within the next decade and this will be business as usual day in, day out.’
This year has already seen hundreds of grass, heath and moorland infernos, and one of the UK’s largest ever has been burning in the Scottish Highlands for the past two weeks (pictured: wildfire near Cannich)
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