Firefighters are tackling a wildfire near Inverness that has burned throughout last night and reportedly covers an area a mile long.

It follows a fire breaking out near the village of Daviot in the highlands on Saturday afternoon.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Police Scotland have warned people nearby to stay at home and close all windows and doors to prevent smoke inhalation.

Residents that have been asked to evacuate are being asked not to return to their homes.

The police department said emergency services were sent to deal with the wildfire on Saturday.

It wrote: “Emergency services are currently in attendance at a wildfire in the Daviot area south of Inverness. @fire_scot are currently dealing with the fire and we would ask local residents to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke.”

People shared photos of the wildfire on social media and reported being able to smell smoke during the night.

Duncan Macpherson, a Highland councillor for Inverness South, said firefighters were facing an “almighty challenge” on Saturday night.

He tweeted: “The wildfire at Daviot south of Inverness stretches over a mile long between Craggie and Moy and presents an almighty challenge for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to try and contain as the wind blows the flames further across the landscape.”

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The fire reportedly started close to a caravan park at about 2.45pm during what was the hottest day of the year so far in Scotland.

Temperatures of 26.7C (80.06F) were recorded in Auchincruive in South Ayrshire and 23C in Inverness.

The Met Office reported Inverness would see temperature highs of 23C on Sunday, with a 50% chance of rain.

The forecaster issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms as some parts are predicted to see heavy rain and hail.

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The Daviot fire follows one near Cannich in the Highlands, which began on 28 May and is believed to be one of the largest in the UK.

Satellite images from NASA showed a plume of smoke from the blaze drifting towards Loch Ness.

Two firefighters who were responding to the incident on 30 June also sustained injuries while tackling the flames and were transported to hospital via air ambulance.

The fire came after the SFRS warned of a “very high risk” of wildfires across the country due to the warm weather.

Last week, another wildfire started on the Campsie Fells to the north of Glasgow.

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