FIRE IN THE GLEN
More than 30 firefighters battle to bring blaze under control
Teamwork to tackle a hill fire in Glen Cloy saw it finally brought under control after more than four hours last Friday.
More than 30 firefighters from Brodick, Lamlash and Blackwaterfoot, later supported by two fire appliances from Ardrossan, tackled the blaze which could be seen for miles around.
The fire started near the horse field in the glen and spread along the hillside for around one kilometre through dry gorse and vegetation.
There was concern at one stage as the fire got close to a cluster of houses in the glen, but it was stopped before it reached the trees behind them. SSE officials were also in attendance as the fire looked to be approaching a run of electricity pylons.
The volunteer firefighters, with the assistance of other volunteers including Aaron Lambie and Elliot Morrison, assisted by Charles Fforde, kindly donating use of Arran Estate’s argocat, stopped it spreading to the String road and the North National Scenic Area.
One eyewitness said: ‘I’m so proud of all those who dived in to help.’
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: ‘We were alerted at 3.39pm on Friday April 16 to reports of a fire in the open on hillside above Brodick. Operations Control mobilised four appliances and firefighters extinguished a fire of gorse and vegetation. Crews left after ensuring the area was made safe. There were no reported casualties.’
The blaze brought a warning from the Arran Ranger Service.
A spokeswoman said: ‘The fire in Glen Cloy is a reminder how quickly fire can spread in our moorlands at this time of year. Please take extra care with cigarette butts, don’t light camp fires in the hills and, in particular, be very careful with disposable barbecues as putting them directly on dry grass can lead to a hill fire.
‘There’s a lot of dry grass out there and the risk to wildlife is extreme.’