Dozens of firefighters battle two large wildfires in the north
Dozens of firefighters battle two large wildfires in the north
25 April 2016
published by www.pressandjournal.co.uk
United Kingdom (Scotland)– Dozens of firefighters were battling two large wildfires in separate parts of the Highlands last night.
The first fire broke out on a heather-clad moor at Hill of Clayton, near Keiss, shortly before 1.40pm yesterday afternoon, and another began about four hours later in Glen Nevis, Lochaber.
No one had to be evacuated from their homes but the fire in Keiss came within a half mile of Stroupster windfarm and a quarter mile of the nearest residential property.
At its height, the wildfire near Keiss covered a front of more than a mile, and five fire appliances two from Wick and one each from Thurso, Dunbeath and Lybster were called out to battle the flames.
A fire service spokeswoman said a total of 22 firefighters used hose reel jets and fire beaters to dampen down the flames.
At about 7pm last night, a photographer at the scene described it as a well-burning fire which was being assisted by a strong wind.
He added that most of the flames were burning about 1ft above the heather but some were rising up to 10-12ft, and thick black smoke could be seen from miles around.
On Saturday afternoon, a wildfire started in the same area of moorland and lasted for several hours until crews brought it under control.
It was re-ignited yesterday as a result of dry and windy, tinderbox conditions which cause wildfires.
In Glen Nevis, five appliances two from Fort William and one each from Spean Bridge, Kinlochleven and Fort Augustus were called out at 5.35pm to deal with a wildfire which had spread to about 40 acres in size by 8pm.
A total of 28 firefighters used hose reel jets and fire beaters to try and dampen the flames, which crews were battling in an area of moorland close to the Steall Falls car park.The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has joined hands with Chiang Mai University (CMU) to launch the Haze Free Thailand campaign, encouraging cooperation among related agencies to strengthen communities and dissipate haze conditions.
NRCTs Acting Secretary-General Sukunya Theerakullert today presided over the launching ceremony of Haze Free Thailand campaign held at Chiang Mai University.
She said that the haze disaster is a persisting issue which happens regularly while becoming more severe, especially during dry and still weather conditions which suspends airborne particulate matters in the air for a prolonged period of time, and thus amplifying the effect it has on the general public.
The haze situation has affected the transport, tourism, society, and the economy in the affected areas causing the number of tourists to drop while threatening the health of the general public who are forced to continue their daily lives under such an unhealthy environment, with heightened health risks to people with low immunity such as elders and children.
The NRCT acting secretary-general has said the NRCT and its network agencies have been supporting research that will help mitigate the haze disaster, and agreed to support large-scale project that will enhance cooperation between government agencies, private companies, and the local public to strengthen the affected communities under the name Haze Free Thailand.
The Haze Free Thailand project will be run by Chiang Mai University as the main responsible agency, due to the fact that the university is located in the affected area. The NRCT expects that this campaign will gradually help reduce the severity of the Kingdom’s haze issues in the future. – See more at: http://thainews.prd.go.th/CenterWeb/NewsEN/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNEVN5904260010018#sthash.UcDzyC0u.dpuf
