No respite for firefighters after blazes break out over long weekend, with forecasters predicting little rain in next 24 hours
Wild heathland fires are raging across parts of the Scottish Highlands, Ireland, north-west England and Berkshire after the record-breaking dry spell of last month, with flames being fanned by high winds over the bank holiday weekend.
Emergency services continued to tackle the fires as forecasters said there was very little chance of rain in the next 24 hours.
In Berkshire, three schools were closed on Tuesday as fires continued to cause problems near to the high security Broadmoor psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.
The blazes broke out just before 1pm on Monday, causing severe traffic disruption towards the south of Bracknell Forest and particularly around the Crowthorne area.
Around 100 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze just half a mile from Broadmoor. Fierce flames were whipped up by strong winds as two separate blazes took hold – one covering an area of one square mile. The fires have since spread to four areas, police said.
Six people and a dog were airlifted by helicopter as wildfires swept across the Scottish Highlands over the long weekend. The rescue took place in the Torridon mountains, where fire engulfed nine square miles. The blaze was one of at least 29 fires across the north-west Highlands.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency fears the continuing dry weather could have an adverse impact on wildlife, including fish and plant life in and around rivers and lakes where water levels are low.
Other large fires were reported at Glenshiel, in the Kintail area, Dundonnell, near Ullapool, and Inverkirkaig, Sutherland. Firefighters are also battling a blaze on the Balmoral estate near Loch Muick.
New fires broke out at Lochailort, south-east of Arisaig, Kinlochleven, in Lochaber, and at Dava woods near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) warned that forest regeneration projects had been "devastated".
Around 150 firefighters have been involved in tackling the fire at Torridon, in Wester Ross, where a helicopter was used to water bomb the site. Fires at Torridon and Kintail are said to be under control but flames are leaping up to 40ft high.
Three houses in Shiel Bridge were evacuated on Monday evening as the flames advanced perilously close to the properties.
The Mallaig RNLI lifeboat also saved a 27-year-old woman whose campsite had been encircled by fires in the remote western tip of the Ardnish peninsula, Loch Ailort.
In the north-west of England, fire crews continued their attempts to control two fires, in Belmont and Simonswood in Lancashire, that started over the weekend.
Fire crews have been tackling moor fires on Anglezarke moor and Wheeton moor in Lancashire since Friday. The Lancashire fire service said this was one of the longest periods of time crews had spent combating such fires in recent years.
A team of 50 firefighters, working on rotation, have been using beaters and spraying water on the flames and smouldering ground at Belmont, Bacup and Ormskirk.
The fires had each spread across several square miles, the fire service said.
At one point over the bank holiday weekend, 32 fire engines from the 39 stations in the county were out on calls.
Crews from Merseyside, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire were also involved in tackling the fires, which were fanned by winds of up to 45mph.
In Northern Ireland, police were investigating reports of a man seen with a petrol can close to one of the worst gorse fires for years in the Mourne mountains.
Two youths were spotted lighting fires in south Armagh, according to reports to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Hundreds of acres of land are being destroyed, and homes and livestock threatened by fires that have burned in Counties Down, Armagh and Tyrone.
The defence forces said hundreds of people were involved in fighting the fires, and the operations were focusing on the Dungloe area of Co Donegal, where significant progress has been made.
Weather forecasters say they are not expecting rain in the next 24 hours, but rain will begin to edge into Northern Ireland by Wednesday night and could reach Scotland by Thursday.
April was the hottest on record in England and Wales, according to forecasters, with rainfall at just 21% of its usual levels. The sunshine has also sparked an invasion of ants. Armies of the insects, encouraged by the warm spring weather, have descended on homes across Britain in search of food and water.