Firefighters praised after battling for 16 hours to control wildfire near Moray

Firefighters have been praised after battling for 16-hours to bring a wildfire under control.

Around 50 firefighters and 13 fire engines attended the fire at an open area near Ballindaloch in Moray.

They were alerted at around 3.11pm on Wednesday, July 13.

At its height, the fire affected grass and gross covering an area of around 300 metres.

The B9008 between Bridge of Avon and Glenlivet was also closed to traffic during the incident.

There were no casualties, with crews leaving the scene after tackling the blaze overnight.

Both Appliance and Forestry Unit called last night to assist with a Wildfire over in Ballindalloch. Massive effort from all Crews attending, and also supported by Helicopter.
At this time of High Fire Risk, and with temps set to rise, be aware of your actions in the countryside pic.twitter.com/fZxJpG2Sgn
— BallaterFireStation (@BallaterFire) July 14, 2022

It comes as temperatures rise across the UK heading into the summer period.

Those venturing into the countryside have been urged to be mindful of dry conditions and the high risk of fire.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 3.11pm on Wednesday, July 13 to reports of a fire in the open near Ballindalloch, Moray.

“Operations Control mobilised 13 fire appliances and specialist resources to the area and at its height, approximately 50 firefighters tackled a fire affecting grass and gorse measuring around 300 metres.

“The fire was extinguished, there were no reported casualties and crews have now left the scene”

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who is the MP for Moray, praised the efforts of firefighters in extinguishing the wildfire.

“I want to thank all the firefighters and those in the community involved in helping fire service personnel during this incident for their efforts in bringing this wildfire under control, preventing it from spreading further,” he said.

“Whilst conditions were not helped by strong winds, firefighters and those from the local community, worked tirelessly for 16 hours overnight to bring the fire under control and ensured it was extinguished.

“It’s a reminder to those venturing out into the countryside to be mindful of these very dry conditions because the potential for fire is very high and the consequences can be severe.”