About 50 firefighters battled a huge blaze on the west coast yesterday during a day which saw two huge wildfires in the Highlands.
Homes, rare species of wildlife and endangered sea eagles were all threatened at one point as flames engulfed part of the Scoraig peninsula.
The blaze started just hours before another wildfire began near Inverness, which firefighters are still struggling to contain.
There are currently seven fire appliances at the scene of the fire near Loch Duntelchaig, between Dores and Torness, near Loch Ness, which started around 3.50pm yesterday.
Scottish Hydro has disconnected a nearby power line, and a helicopter was called in to do water drops on the blaze this morning.
The fire was said to be visible from several spots near the Highland loch.
Eight fire appliances were called to tackle the blaze from Inverness, Forres, Dingwall, Beauly, Nairn, Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus yesterday.
Yesterday’s Scoraig fire is understood to have started at Auchmore near Ullapool and a lifeboat had to be used to ferry fire crews and their equipment over Loch Broom to the scene.
Last night, Noel Hawkins, a worker on a Summer Queen cruise ship, described passing the blaze in the afternoon with a boat full of shocked tourists.
It started around 2.30pm and raged until around 10pm, with fire crews called from all over the west coast to the remote spot to tackle the flames using beaters.
Because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of the scene, firefighters were being taken to the peninsula from Ullapool on the Lochinver lifeboat.
Two fire teams from Ullapool, along with crews from Aultbey, Achiltibuie, Gairloch, Torridon, Invergordon and Cromarty were involved.
Speaking last night as the fire still raged, Mr Hawkins, 44, said: “We were crossing the Summer Islands when we saw it. We were heading out at 2pm and we could see it from about 2.15pm.
“We could see it was coming across the top, we passed it at about 3.30pm, coming over the peninsula at Auchmore.
“Most people on the tour were from cities, and when we explained the situation, that there was no road access and that if no one can get there, the homes are doomed, it’s was very traumatic for them.”
He added: “There’s two families live on farm houses there that were under threat and the smoke was blowing on to the peninsula where there’s a pair of white-tailed eagles nesting, the first pair to nest there in over 100 years, it’s the first time they have bred here ever.”
The homes on the peninsula are believed to be traditional Highland crofts, vulnerable to fire.
However, last night, a fire brigade spokesman said: “There was a risk to property, but I think the firefighters were able to hold them back.”
The fire service notified the Forestry Commission when the fire looked like it was heading towards woodlands around 9pm.
However, the fire was contained at around 10pm.
A fire and rescue spokesman said there was no damage to wildlife that the service was aware of.
He added that yesterday’s dry weather may have been a factor in both fires.