Grass fires cost thousands of pounds to fight

An investigation has found that a blaze south of Dumfries was caused by a controlled burning of heather.

The fire damaged four miles of countryside on Drunburn Hill near Criffel.

More than 60 firefighters, forestry commission workers and even a Royal Naval helicopter was used to fight the fire.

Dumfries and Galloway Fire Service says they're still to calculate the cost of an operation to put out grassland fires which devastated more than a thousands acres.

The area around Criffel was badly damaged in the blaze which started on Monday afternoon

Today ITV Border's reporter Matthew Taylor was among the first to travel to the moorland which was burnt.

Scottish Natural Heritage says it will take years for the land to recover.

Fire crews in Dumfries and Galloway are continuing to monitor a four mile stretch of land that's been engulfed in flames in a grass fire. They need to make sure the fire doesn't flare up again.

The fire that has raged since yesterday has been contained and is under control.

Fire crews who have been at the Criffel battling the blaze, which stretched at one point along 4 miles of heath land, are withdrawing.

There will we one crew remaining to monitor the situation overnight. At one point there were fears the fire could spread to large forest areas.

Authorities tackling grassland fires in south west Scotland have brought in a Sea King helicopter to help.

Three separate fires took hold on hills close to New Abbey after a heather burning operation got out of control.

The helicopter will be used to scoop water from a nearby loch.

It's thought a heather burn which got out of control may have caused a large grassland fire in south west Scotland.

Council officials say they're investigating that as the likely source of the blaze.

Teams of fire fighters and Forestry Commission workers are set to use beaters to fight three separate blazes .

A large area of grassland near new Abbey and Kirkbean in Dumfries and Galloway has been affected.

A helicopter may also be used to scoop water out of a nearby loch to fight the fires.

The view of the grass fire in Criffel from Mawbray, near Maryport in Cumbria