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Crews battle wildfires in Western Isles and Highlands

Innes Macrae North Uist wildfireInnes Macrae
An image of the wildfire at Eubhal, North Uist

Firefighters have been battling a number of wildfires across the Western Isles and also in the Highlands.

Crews tackled incidents at Achmore and Sildinish in Lewis and Horsaclete in Harris, Brevig on Barra and Eubhal in North Uist on Thursday.

The hill and moorland fires followed an earlier incident in Benbecula in the isles.

Overnight in the Highlands, firefighters fought to bring a blaze at Laide Woods near Aultbea under control.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said the alarm was raised at about 19:00 on Thursday.

The A832 road has been closed at the scene of the fire and the police have asked the public to avoid the area.

Alan Mearns North Uist wildfire from SkyeAlan Mearns
A panoramic image of the North Uist fire taken on Thursday from Waternish on Skye

SFRS said the fires had broken out in vegetation that had died off since last year and then been dried out by recent days of hard frosts and low temperatures.

The fire service said the smallest spark could start a major blaze and that places across coastal and island areas of western Scotland were at risk of similar blazes.

Innes Macrae North Uist fireInnes Macrae
The hill fire in North Uist was among a number of incidents across the Western Isles

An SFRS "extreme" warning of wildfires is in place and covers the Highlands, Western Isles, Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

People in rural environments in these areas have been warned to exercise caution.

Low temperatures in the Western Isles has also affected domestic water supplies for some communities.

Scottish Water has brought in divers to clear ice affecting the intake of water from Loch Fada to Lochmaddy water treatment works.

Scottish Water Diver at Loch FadaScottish Water
A diver with chunks of ice removed from Loch Fada
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About 750 homes and businesses in North Uist, Berneray and Grimsay have been affected.

Tankers have been used to supplement stored drinking water as far as possible.

Scottish Water said: "We have been working hard at Lochmaddy and a number of our other sites across the Western Isles to maintain normal service for customers in challenging conditions over recent days.

"At Lochmaddy, our efforts overnight have not yet succeeded in returning the water treatment works to normal operation and we are therefore initiating plans to provide alternative water supplies for customers."

Energee Wildfire on BenbeculaEnergee
Firefighters at the scene of the wildfire on Benbecula
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