Grass fires water bombed

A HELICOPTER was yesterday deployed to water bomb one of a series of major grass fires raging in tinder dry Aberdeenshire.

One of the heathland blazes reached a mile wide at its height as firefighters from Grampian Fire and Rescue Service battled to contain it.

A spokesman for the service said seven fire units had been sent to tackle one of the wildfires on a hill close to the Cairn O’Mount road between Banchory and Fettercairn.

He said firefighters from Laurencekirk, Inverbervie, Stonehaven and Aberdeen had been deployed, together with a further crew from Tayside.