WATCH: Drone footage shows extent of large wildfire near Daviot
DRONE footage released by an Inverness resident shows the extent of a large wildfire which ravaged an area south of Inverness last weekend.
The flames were first reported on Saturday (June 10) at around 2.45pm, with the fire stretching over a mile long in the Daviot area.
Gábor Barton, who works as a GIS developer for an environment organisation was coming back on the A9 from North Kessock as he saw the smoke from a distance.
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He then took his drone and set near the B851 junction at Daviot East – where other people had stopped to look at the smoke.
He said: "We were just coming back from a walk with my wife and then we saw the smoke from the car, so I decided to drop off the dogs and decided to head and take the drone there as the footage might be useful.
"I was worried about the properties and the people in the vicinity. I need to focus on the drone not to get too close for the fire to get smoke or crash.
"My work gives a perspective about the severity of climate change aspect of things and how that increases the freq and possibility of wild fire in Scotland.
"You wouldn't expect it from a place as damp and foggy but it's definitely getting drier and the risk is increasing."
Residents in the area said the could smell fire and some were temporarily evacuated from their homes.
This is the second wildfire affecting the area after a blaze near Cannich devastated moorland and saw half of a nature reserve being lost.
It prompted a call from Scottish Fire and rescue service to be careful as dry weather ad the effects of climate change are increasing the risk of wildfire in te Highlands.
