Fire crews prevent blaze from reaching village 15/7/12
Island fire crews have been fighting a major moorland blaze threatening a Lewis village.
The fire raced over tinder dry heather towards houses in the North Tolsta area last night. It flared up again today and was hosed down by the Stornoway fire crews.
The incident stretched the fire-
At its height, flames jumped a river and sped into a crofters’ forestry shelter belt, not far from houses in Glen Tolsta. A plume of smoke could be seen for miles.
Fire men with chainsaws chopped down a copse of mature trees -
Exhausted fire crews battled the fire for over five hours but were hampered by the remote location over rough ground well off the main road.
Around 50 people were involved in try to hold it back as south westerly gusts whipped the fire over eight acres.
Villagers with quad bikes assisted taking equipment, fuel for portable pumps, and personnel out into the moor. About 15 people from the district also helped out as beaters.
Trying to get enough water supplies to tackle the raging flames was an added difficulty.
Low levels in nearby streams due to a three month dry spell meant pools of water were quickly pumped out.
Loch Ionadagro, a moorland loch reservoir used by Scottish Water for the district’s water supply, was just too far away to run hoses.
A spokesperson for Highlands and Island Fire and Rescue service said five fire crews were deployed including Shawbost, Ness and Great Bernera as well as two from Stornoway.
As a result, the Uig fire crew was put on standby for any emergency across the west coast of the island while South Lochs brigade were assigned to the Stornoway and Broadbay districts.
The fire was extinguished using four main jets, two portable honda pumps as well as a small army of people using backpack tanks and beaters.
The weekend fire is the latest in a series of large blazes which have spread quickly in very dry conditions in the Western Isles.
Last month, fire crews attended four separate fires within a fortnight in the community-