Nearly 3,000 hectares of land burned during massive wildfire near Cannich

Nearly 3,000 hectares of land has been burned during a massive wildfire near Cannich.

It comes after the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service warned of a ‘high risk’ of wildfires across the country due to the warm weather.

Emergency crews were alerted to the fire at a farm near Cannich on Sunday afternoon.

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) said the fire would have a devastating impact on wildlife and habitats and warned they are becoming more frequent in Scotland.

Ross Ewing, director of moorland at Scottish Land & Estates, said the fire demonstrated the importance of ‘manage the fuel load of vegetation’ which has been shown to increase wildfire risk.

Scottish Field editor Richard Bath explores the consequences of  what can happen when we stop muirburning in the June issue of Scottish Field magazine.

The controversial practice involved the controlled burning of vegetation, which critics say can pose a risk to wildlife.

But those in favour insist it helps promote biodiversity and acts as a protector against wildfires.

‘Our thoughts are with the firefighters who have been injured tackling the wildfire in the area around Cannich,’ said Mr Ewing.

‘Nearly 3,000 hectares of land have already been burned in this fire and it follows on from the huge wildfire near Glenuig in April, which was estimated to be the second largest ever recorded in the UK.

‘Wildfires have a devastating impact on wildlife and habitats, generating catastrophic carbon emissions.

‘They are becoming increasingly frequent in Scotland, partly due to climate change and partly due to a lack of fuel load management in some areas.

‘This wildfire demonstrates how important it is to utilise all the tools at our disposal to manage the fuel load of vegetation, which has been shown to increase wildfire risk.

‘We hope the situation at Cannich will soon be contained so that the scale and extent of damage can be assessed.

‘We urging anyone going out into the countryside to take care and follow guidance in relation to campfire cooking and when the ground is so dry it’s recommended not to use either a campfire or a camping stove.’

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