DnG ARCHIVE PICTURE
Fire crews from Dumfries and Galloway joined colleagues from other areas in fighting extensive blaze fronts in South Ayrshire.
At the height of the incident in countryside in the Barrhill area 50 firefighters and a dozen appliances were involved in bringing the outbreak under control.
The alarm was raised around 1 pm at Boreland Farm on Saturday and 30 crews, working in shifts, operated through the night until the fire was extinguished on Sunday.
They managed to prevent the flames spreading further to near-by woodlands.
Traffic was stopped from using the A714 through the area for a period due to smoke blowing over the road.
A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service stated that the extent of the fire meant that the outbreak was declared a level three ‘substantial’ incident.
Area Manager James Scott said: “The Fire Service worked in partnership with Police Scotland ensuring crew safety through the deployment of their police helicopter for aerial reconnaissance.”
The Dumfries and Galloway crews taking part in the response were from Annan, Dumfries, Thornhill, Gatehouse and Stranraer.
Warnings have been issued by the fire service for the public to take extra care in the countryside because of the increased blaze risk from the extremely dry scrub, moors and woodlands.
The alert follows an unusually long period of dry weather in the region.
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