More than a dozen firefighters were called to a forest fire near Lossiemouth yesterday.
Two crews attended the woods near the town shortly before 5pm after a 164ft stretch of undergrowth caught fire.
Forestry Commission staff reported the blaze after it started near one of their vehicles.
Forestry manager for Moray and Aberdeenshire, John Thomson, said: “Just by good fortune we had a member a staff there.
“The fire started literally 20 metres from their vehicle, as soon as they came back they spotted it straight away.”
A jet and beaters were used to get the smouldering flames under control near the coast between Lossiemouth and Garmouth.
Mr Thomson warned the area was particularly at risk from fires at the moment.
He said: “The forest is susceptible just now. There’s a lot of dead grass and it hasn’t started to green up yet.
“We always encourage people to act responsibly. If they see a fire then they should report it.”
Two crews from Elgin were called to the scene with 13 officers after the call from the Forestry Commission.
Incident Commander Stephen Laing said: “Upon arrival we found an area of undergrowth, 50 metres by 10 metres, that was alight. We tackled it using a hose reel and from all sides to fully extinguish it.”
Hot temperatures over the last three days on the Moray coast have left the grass dry and more prone to catching alight.
Heldon and Laich councillor, John Cowe, said a fire in the area was a rare occurrence and urged visitors to the coast to take care.
He said: “Everyone should be doubly careful after the lovely dry spell we have been having over the last few days.
“You just need to look to Canada and see how quickly these things can take hold.”