West Lothian wildfire: Helicopter brought in to help tackle blaze in woodland near Fauldhouse

The fire, in woodland just off the B7010 near Fauldhouse, broke out late on Saturday morning. More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze on the ground and a helicopter was brought in to drop water on the burning trees.

People in the area were advised to keep their windows and doors closed due to the smoke.

A helicopter drops water on the wildfire in a wooded area in West Lothian | Getty Images

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) had earlier warned of an "extreme" risk of wildfires due to the warm, dry weather.

An SFRS spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 11.43am on Saturday, 10 May to reports of a large outdoor fire affecting a remote area of forest near Fauldhouse.”

There were nine appliances at the scene on Saturday, as well as a high volume pump, all-terrain vehicle and a water bowser.

And on Sunday there were still 50 firefighters there, working to make the area safe.

"Firefighters will continue to work to extinguish the fire."

Scottish Greens said wildfires emphasised the need for urgent steps to “climate proof” society.

Green MSP Ariane Burgess said: “We aren’t even in the height of our summer yet and we are already seeing our woodlands burning and warnings in place across much of the country.

“We should all be grateful to the firefighters who are risking their lives and putting their safety on the line to protect us and our communities. It’s not just the immediate threats they face, but also the lifelong increased health risks from exposure to smoke and toxic substances.

“We need to do everything we can to ensure that they are well supported and properly equipped for the growing threats that we face from increasing temperatures.

“Scotland is blessed with amazing and iconic landscapes that attract visitors from across the world. But they are also homes and places where people live and work, and, with our climate changing around us, they are being put at growing risk and thrust on to the frontline of the climate crisis.

“It’s not just Scotland. We have seen heat waves and wildfires across the world and, without fundamental change, the threat will only become more severe. The situation is particularly urgent for people living in remote and rural communities who are often surrounded by tinderbox conditions.

“All of this underlines the need for preventative steps to climate-proof our society and to step-up climate action if we are to ensure that the devastating scenes at Fauldhouse do not become our new normal.”