Warning following wildfire
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A LANDOWNER has praised firefighters for the way they tackled a grass fire on his property but has raised concerns over problems they had accessing water from nearby hydrants.
The fire crew encountered problems with four hydrants in the Dallas area.
Alex Maxwell, Hillside Cottage, Hill of Edinvale had been getting some gorse burning carried out on his seven acres of land.
"The wind picked up and it got a little out of control and we needed some extra help to put it out," he said.
The fire crew from Forres needed more water but couldn't get any from two hydrants close to nearby hydrants.
They then tried to access one in the High Street in Dallas but there was a problem with the valve on the hydrant and another one at the primary school had been tarmacked over.
"It was only a field fire and they were able to put it out with what they had but imagine if it had been a house or the school, it could have been a disaster," added Mr Maxwell.
While full of praise for the professionalism of the fire crew, he said the hydrant issue raised a serious safety concern in the event of a fire in the area.
He planned to raise the matter with the fire service and MSP Richard Lochhead.
