Firefighters injured as wildfire burns in Highlands for third day

Two firefighters have been taken to hospital as crews try to contain a wildfire that has been burning near Cannich, south west of Inverness, since Sunday afternoon.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) confirmed the pair were flown to hospital by air ambulance after sustaining injuries while responding to the blaze at a farm near the village at about 9am on Tuesday.

It is understood five fire crews comprising about 30 firefighters are working to put out the flames, down from a total of nine crews who were despatched to the scene to tackle the fire when it was at its worst.

The SFRS also called for a helicopter to waterbomb the site at one point to try and bring the fire under control.

Residents living nearby have been advised to close their windows and doors due to the increased levels of smoke in the area.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 12.46pm on Sunday May 28 to reports of a fire in the open at a farm near Cannich, Beauly.

“Operations Control initially mobilised one fire appliance, increasing to nine appliances including specialist resources.

“At 5.37pm on Monday May 29, a helicopter was brought in to waterbomb the wildfire.

“As of Tuesday May 30, we currently have five appliances on the scene, where firefighters are continuing to extinguish the fire and prevent further fire spread.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We received a call at 9.03am to attend an incident near Cannich, south of Inverness.

“Multiple resources were dispatched to the scene and two patients were airlifted to hospital.”