ABOUT 30 firefighters using six fire appliances were last night attempting to control a rapidly spreading grass fire on Skye.
The incident, among 200 in the tinderbox-dry West Highlands this week, ignited at Skeabost Bridge and spread over an area of grass and heathland after it began at about 5pm.
Firefighters were faced with three fronts of flames with each about one mile in length covering 10 hectares.
The local community helped the officers, who were drawn from across the island and Kyle fire station to deal with the fires.
Police were called to close roads near the scene as the wildfire spread close to three nearby properties. There were no initial reports of any injuries.
The latest incident came as Chief Fire Officer Alasdair Hay praised the dedication and professionalism of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) who prevented tragedy as they tackled 200 wildfires this week.
The new unified service only took over responsibility for callouts on Monday, and dealt with 527 incidents throughout Scotland between Wednesday and Thursday.
Mr Hay said: "SFRS crews have worked tirelessly to respond quickly and effectively to a great number of challenging situations, including one tragic incident where a man went missing after falling through ice.
"People around the world will have seen incredible images of the wildfires affecting the Highlands and islands in recent days, but firefighters have also been working to deal with road traffic collisions, house fires and many other incidents that are perhaps less visible.
"Their courage and skills have been clear to see."
Crews also responded to reports of a fire at a backpackers' hostel in Inverness in the early hours of Wednesday and helped 54 residents and staff escape uninjured, although the building was badly damaged.
And firefighters rescued three people from a third-floor tenement flat in Paisley shortly after midnight on Thursday.
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