Evacuations as wildfire spreads north through Galloway forest

People and properties have been evacuated as a wildfire has spread over a large area of forest in Galloway.

Emergency services were initially called to Glen Trool at about 23:50 on Friday, with crews remaining on the scene into Sunday.

Helicopters were deployed to help battle back the flames while police warned the blaze could spread to the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire.

Police and fire crews are to meet on Sunday morning to assess the next steps.

A helicopter is to be dispatched prior to the meeting to assess the damage to the area from the air.

Volunteers with Galloway Mountain Rescue were among those assisting with evacuations in the area.

Police urged people to stay away from the site and urged and anyone camping nearby to leave. Areas affected include Merrick Hill, Ben Yellary and Loch Dee.

Another wildfire had been reported around the same the area on Thursday and covered some 1.5 miles (2.4km).

Scotland has seen a number of fires over the last few weeks as the weather gets warmer and drier.

The fire service issued an “extreme” warning for wildfires and the public has been urged to avoid lighting any fires outdoors until next week.

It warned that there was typically a large volume of “dead, bone-dry vegetation across large areas of countryside” at this time of year which acts as a fuel for fire.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said hills are particularly prone to wildfires because the fire can spread far quicker uphill than on flatter ground.