Moray and Highland wildfires: Fresh blaze near A939 Nairn-Dava road, says Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, with appliances from Inverness, Nairn, Grantown-on-Spey and Forres in attendance
Four fire engines have been scrambled to a fresh wildfire on the A939 between Nairn and Dava.
The Dava area has seen a spate of incidents recently following Scotland’s biggest ever wildfire late in June - with a number of secondary fires reigniting in the subsequent weeks amid continued dry weather.
The latest call-out was to a one sq km forestry area at 2.35pm on Friday. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said appliances from Inverness, Nairn, Grantown-on-Spey and Forres had been deployed to the scene - with a helicopter also en route.
Specialist appliances were also on the way, including a water carrier and welfare unit.
Hose reel jets were being used to douse the fire.
Motorists have also been urged to take care, as the fire service added that black smoke was crossing the A939.
The latest blaze comes amid an active ‘extreme’ wildfire warning in the same area.
The latest warning, which runs from today until at least Monday, sits at 'very high' across much of Moray and Aberdeenshire, with similar alerts in place near Inverness and in Caithness and Orkney.
But it rises to 'extreme' for southern and central Moray and similar areas to those hit by the major wildfire last month.
People are being asked to avoid the use of naked flames outdoors, including barbecues.
The vast majority of wildfires are started by human behaviour and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is urging communities to avoid lighting fires and using naked flames while this warning is in place.
Group Commander Niall MacLennan is one of the SFRS Wildfire Tactical Advisers.
He said: "We know that people acting responsibly outdoors can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting.
"That's why we're urging people within these areas to absolutely avoid the use of naked flames, including barbecues, at this time.
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"It only takes one spark to start a wildfire and things can get out of hand very, very quickly.
"Discarded cigarettes and unsupervised campfires pose a significant threat, so it's vital to follow all safety advice when outdoors and to make sure you are familiar with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code at all times."
Remote and rural communities, in particular, are impacted by wildfire.
Group Commander MacLennan added: "Many rural and remote communities are hugely impacted by wildfires, which can cause significant 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.
"These fires can also have a hugely negative impact on the environment and the release of air polluting gases into the atmosphere."
The SFRS has an array of wildfire prevention and safety advice on its website.
You can learn more about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code online.