Large gorse fire breaks out at Rosehearty with residents asked to close windows

A large gorse fire broke out in Aberdeenshire just as experts issued an extreme wildfire warning for the whole of Scotland. Four fire engines and a specialist unit were sent to the fields behind the B9031 near Rosehearty at 17:20 where the blaze broke out on open land near houses. Social media footage showed orange flames spreading across the grassy land with plumes of black smoke billowing into the air. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said local residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed due to the smoke and people should stay away from the area. On Thursday morning, Police Scotland said North Street and the B9031 at Rosehearty had re-opened. The whole of Scotland has now fallen under a warning for extreme risk of wildfires, with temperatures expected to exceed 21C. The warning, issued by SFRS and the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), will remain in place until Friday. Those in south-west Scotland have also been warned of a "very high risk" of wildfire on Wednesday. People in southern Scotland and the central Highlands have been warned of the "very high risk" of wildfire on Saturday. Kenny Barbour, head of prevention at the SFRS and chair of the SWF, urged Sc