Fire crews are continuing to battle a wildfire in the Highlands which has burned for five days and is now visible from space.
Five fire appliances remained at the scene of the blaze this morning, which now covers an area of around 3.08 square miles of land in the hills above near Loch Ness.
Two fire fighters were injured earlier in the week when their vehicle crashed. Both have been released from hospital.
Helicopters have been used to waterbomb the flames and firefighters are working to dampen the area around the fire, which has spread across a huge area near the village of Cannich.
READ MORE: Wild campers may have sparked three-day blaze
Experts have said the wildfire has the potential to be the largest ever recorded in the UK. Flames are being fanned by tinderbox conditions following days without rain.
Forestry and Land Scotland, who own the land where the blaze broke out, have said it could have been sparked by people wild camping in the area.
Smoke from the fire can be seen from space
Satellite pictures from Nasa show a huge plume of smoke ascending from the area. On the ground there are apocalyptic scenes of scorched earth and ashen landscape.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said this morning: "We were alerted at 12.46pm on Sunday, 28 May to reports of a fire in the open at a farm in Cannich, near Inverness.
"Operations Control initially mobilised one fire appliance, increasing to nine appliances including specialist resources at the height of the fire.
"As of Thursday, 1 June we currently have five fire appliances, including specialist resources in attendance. "Firefighters are working to dampen down the area and will remain on scene until it is safe to leave."
Firefighters have attended fires in the same area on four separate occasions since May 23. The service has extended a wildlife warning across much of Scotland until Monday.
The warning has been in place since May 26, and grades the risk of wildfires as “very high” in most of east, central, and southern Scotland.
The fire has left a charred landscape behind Pic: Peter Jolly
SFRS group commander Niall MacLennan said earlier: “As the warm and dry weather continues, so too does the risk of wildfire.
READ MORE: Cannich wildfire - RSPB Scotland warns of wildlife impact
“The ongoing incident at Cannich shows just how large these fires can become. A mixture of seasonal weather conditions combined with very dry and dead vegetation means there is a heightened risk of fires, which can be started by the careless disposal of cigarettes as well as barbecues or campfires left unattended.
“Many of our rural and remote communities are hugely impacted by these incidents, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage.
“Cannich has been a challenging incident and our crews are working tirelessly to tackle the fire and stop further spread.
“Extinguishing a fire on this scale requires a large amount of resources, including the use of helicopters to bolster our response. We will remain on scene until we make the area safe.”
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