 Experts have started to assess damage caused by the fire |
Wildlife experts have begun to assess the environmental damage caused by a huge grassland blaze that burned for more than two days. The fire in the Galloway Forest Park was put out on Tuesday after spreading across more than 5,500 hectares.
It is believed to have been one of the biggest fires ever seen in the area.
A Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) spokesman said it could take weeks to fully assess the impact of the fire on the countryside in the area.
About 30 workers, firefighters and a helicopter helped to battle the blaze which started on Sunday morning.
 |  Part of the area was bog land and if the fire has burned quite deep we are looking at longer lasting damage than if it just swept across the top |
The FCS spokesman said it would take time to see what damage the fire had done.
"We will start assessing the damage but we have to be careful that we don't send staff to the most remote areas because it is still the dry spell and there is a risk the fires could start up again," he said.
"About 5,500 hectares of land including 500 hectares of forest plantation were affected.
"That also includes a site of special scientific interest and a special area of conservation."
Badly affected
He said it was already clear that some areas had been more badly affected than others.
"Part of the area was bog land and if the fire has burned quite deep we are looking at longer lasting damage than if it just swept across the top," he said.
"The assessment could take weeks to carry out."
Scottish Natural Heritage is also expected to carry out assessments at the site, using techniques such as soil analysis.
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