A forest blaze close to the Queen's Balmoral Castle and Estate was started by an abandoned camp fire, according to site managers.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were alerted to the ground fire at 3.19pm on Saturday July 9.
Crews in three appliances were immediately dispatched to the location near the royal residence.
They managed to extinguish the fire within a forested area near blacksmith cottages in Glenmuick in Ballater.
It was confirmed the incident had been caused by an abandoned campfire and was stopped before it reached a nearby osprey nest.
Balmoral Castle & Estate later tweeted: "Thanks very much to the crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who extinguished this forest fire yesterday which had been started by an abandoned camp fire.
"Due to their quick response the fire did not affect a nearby osprey nest."
An SFRS spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 3.19pm on Saturday 9 July to reports of a ground fire within a forested area near blacksmith cottages, Glen Muick.
“Operations control immediately mobilised three fire appliances to the location and firefighters extinguished the fire.
“Crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
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