Extreme wildfire warning in North of Scotland

The warm and sunny weather has brought a warning of an extreme risk of wildfire for parts of northern Scotland.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service issued the warning for Inverness-shire and large parts of northern Scotland on Saturday while much of the rest of the country remains at very high risk.

Firefighters say at this time of year there is a lot of dead vegetation left over from last year which can dry very quickly and act as fuel for wildfires.

The weather over the next few days is expected to be dominated by high pressure and a combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strengthening winds, contributing to the wildfire risk.

SFRS has released a video showing the intense and rapid spread of a recent wildfire in the village of Glenuig in Lochaber in the Highlands.

It spread across two miles before being extinguished by more than 30 firefighters over two days last weekend.

Group Commander Niall MacLennan, an SFRS wildfire tactical adviser, urged people heading into the countryside to act with caution and avoid naked flames.

He said: "Over the weekend, the risk of wildfire is very real due to the higher temperatures and forecast low relative humidity.

"This contributes significantly to drying and lowering of moisture content in fine fuels, which are predominant in our countryside.

"If a naked flame comes into contact with this vegetation, it will act as a fuel and could spread rapidly.

"We know how damaging wildfires can be to the environment, wildlife and nearby communities and they place a significant demand on our emergency service.

"Human behaviour plays a significant role in preventing wildfires and clearly with this spell of warm weather, we anticipate large volumes of people will enter the countryside this weekend.

"We must ask that people behave responsibly and to please think twice before using any naked flames."

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