The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued a “very high” warning for an increased risk of wildfires.
The alert runs from Wednesday to Saturday, with the fire service warning members of the public that even the smallest fire can spread uncontrollably and devastate entire hillsides.
The warning comes after 30 firefighters attended a wildfire which began in Cannich near Inverness on Sunday May 28 and remains ongoing.
Smoke from the fire was so widespread it could be seen from space.
READ MORE: Firecrews remain at site of huge wildfire near Glasgow
Rural and remote communities are particularly impacted by wildfires, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage, the service said.
Station Commander John Harvey said: “We know that many people will be hoping to enjoy the outdoors when the weather is good, but we urge everyone to make sure that they don’t increase the chance of wildfire.
“That means being aware of the risks and following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
“Wild and grass fires can start by the careless disposal of cigarettes and barbecues or campfires left unattended.
“They then have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land, wildlife and threaten the welfare of nearby communities.
“During this time of the year, many firefighters across Scotland are preparing to actively tackle wildfires as they work to protect our communities.
“However, many of these fires are preventable so please read our safety advice and enjoy the weather responsibly.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here