A wildfire that has been blazing over the weekend has been brought under control – as emergency crews remain at the scene to extinguish any potential flare-ups.
The blaze began in the Glen Trool area of Galloway Forest Park, in western Scotland on Thursday, later spreading to Loch Doon in East Ayrshire.
Helicopters water-bombed the flames during the emergency response.
The Scottish government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) met on Sunday evening, with Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Angela Contance reporting the situation is “currently under control”.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said there are “no reported casualties” and crews remain in attendance.
Speaking to Sky News, the team leader of Galloway Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT) warned “we’re not out of danger yet”, with efforts continuing to dampen any potential hotspots.
Stewart Gibson said: “Things are calming down a bit now. I think the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has got it under control, but we’re not out of danger yet.
“The forecast with these dry conditions is to continue over the next week, so we just have to wait and see what happens.”
A “final wash-up” is continuing to take place.
Mr Gibson added: “I think the fire is still kind of smouldering, but we’ve been quite lucky that the winds have died down. So, because of that, it’s not spreading.
“The helicopters that have been dropping water on the fire have pretty much contained it. So, we’re hoping that there shouldn’t be any further flare-ups and it should be at the end of the incident.”
Members of the public were urged to avoid the affected areas, with Police Scotland also advising nearby residents to keep their windows and doors closed.
Dumfries and Galloway Council said it is continuing to liaise with its blue light colleagues and has made “an offer of humanitarian aid should it be required”.
A number of campers were forced to flee and leave their kit behind after the fire picked up pace on Friday evening into Saturday.
GMRT helped to evacuate and alert campers in the region, with Rescue 199 from Prestwick also flying in to airlift people to safety.
Mr Gibson said members of GMRT plan to recover the tents and kit left behind and return them to their owners once safe to do so.
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The team’s drone, which has thermal imaging to help spot fires more easily and missing walkers at night, will be used to survey the damage done.
The footage will then be fed back to Forestry and Land Scotland and the SFRS.
Following the SGoRR meeting, Justice Secretary Ms Constance noted: “I am reassured to hear that so far there has been no damage to properties or mature woodland.
“However, this remains an ongoing incident and the situation will be reassessed at first light.”
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Rising temperatures across the UK have led to wildfire warnings being put in place for several parts of the country.
There have been a number of blazes in the past week, including near Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire, and Kilpatrick Hills, East Dunbartonshire.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out.
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath, near Poole on Wednesday, and Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
In Northern Ireland, a 25-year-old man was arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident on Saturday.
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Meanwhile, firefighters in the Scottish Highlands are currently tackling a wildfire at mountain Stac Pollaidh in Inverpolly Forest.
Together with the Scottish Wildfire Forum, the SFRS urged people to avoid lighting fires outdoors across all areas of Scotland.
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Mr Gibson said: “When you get nice weather like this, you get a lot of people flocking to the hills and taking disposable barbecues, etc.
“So, we’re just trying to warn people to be aware of what could happen. It’s about education. Some people think that wildfires don’t happen in Scotland, but we see every year they do.
“It’s difficult because people do go out and they want to have a campfire. If people are going to do it, just try and be safe and make sure everything is out.”
