FIRE chiefs have issued a warning following a massive grass fire near Dalmellington.

Firefighters tackled a half mile long blaze for over twenty hours at a farm in Dalmellington this week.

Scottish Fire and Rescue had to send eight fire engines to tackle the grass fire at Polquhanity Farm in Dalmellington shortly after 2.30pm on Saturday May 7.

Crews worked tirelessly to try and stop the spread of the fire from spreading and stayed at the scene well in to Sunday.

Firefighters fought the half mile stretch of grass fire, that covered a square kilometre, until after 10am on Sunday May 8.

Now, as we move in to the summer months, local fire chiefs are warning people not to do anything that could cause a countryside fire. and not to unwittingly leave anything behind after a trip to the countryside.

Cumnock Station Manager, Alan Coughtrie said: "Countryside fires can devastate thousands of hectares of land, forests and wildlife, but they can also kill people. They’re dangerous and unpredictable – changing direction without warning.

“Some countryside fires are unavoidable but many can be prevented. There are simple steps we can all take to protect our countryside from fire, and with the public’s help we can ensure crews are able to quickly get to any incidents in our towns and villages."

Station Manager Coughtrie also gave advise to anyone heading for the local countryside this summer.

He added: "Our advice to people is to extinguish cigarettes properly and never to throw them on the ground or out of car windows. They should also avoid making open fires in the countryside and never leave bottles in woodland, as sunlight passing through glass can start fires."

The Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF) have also warned of the increased risk over the next week.

Vice chair of the Scottish Wildfire Forum, Michael Bruce, monitors the European Commission’s European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) which provides information which can be used to inform the public about the risk of wildfire.

He said: “At the start of spring there is often a lot of dead vegetation leftover from last year. This fuel can dry out quickly when there are bright sunny days with high temperatures and low humidity levels. We have a high pressure weather system dominating Scotland creating these conditions at the moment.”

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Andy Coueslant, the chair of the Scottish Wildfire Forum, said raising awareness is key to reducing the risk.

He said: “We have a forecast of settled dry, warm and at times windy conditions over the next week. We therefore ask people to be vigilant and act responsibly while this period of weather affects the country.

“Many rural and remote communities are hugely impacted by wildfires, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage.

“Livestock, farmland, wildlife, protected woodland and sites of special scientific interest can all be devastated by these fires, as can the lives of people living and working in rural communities.

“Human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting so it’s crucial people act safely and responsibly in rural environments and follow the countryside code.”