Hot weather sparks fires

Fire prevention advice is being given to the public

Firefighters in Grampian have attended more than 20 countryside fires, thought to have been caused by the dry, hot weather.

Several acres of crops were destroyed in the fires, which broke out in numerous locations across Aberdeenshire and Moray on Friday.

The most serious blaze was on farm land near Fochabers in Moray, where 25 acres of crops were on fire.

Warnings to the public about the safe disposal of cigarettes were given by a Grampian Fire Brigade spokesman.

The brigade's assistant divisional officer Andy Coueslant said the control room in Aberdeen was "stretched" to dispatch crews to all the incidents.

Safety advice

He said between 0800 and 1600BST on Friday, Grampian Fire Brigade received 58 calls, 22 of which were actual fires.

He said there was no evidence of any of the fires being started deliberately.

Mr Coueslant added that there had been no injuries, and none of the fires were close to buildings.

He warned the public on disposing safely of cigarettes and advised against people starting a camp fire while the weather was so hot and dry.

Scotland suffered several devastating fires earlier this year with parts of the Ardnamurchan peninsula on the west coast alight for more than five days.