Blaze at Fereneze Golf Club, Barrhead put out by three fire engines

The wildfire broke out at 9.26pm at the Barrhead course.

Three fire engines raced to the scene to extinguish the flames.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is treating the incident as malicious.

There were no injuries and no significant damage is thought to have been caused to the area.

A fire service spokesman said: "At 9.26pm on Monday, May 8, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to reports of a wildfire at Fereneze Golf Course, Barrhead. 

"Three appliances were mobilised and firefighters used beaters to tackle the flames.

"Crews left the scene after ensuring the area had been made safe."

Pictures began circulating on social media with worried residents sharing snaps of the blaze from their homes.

Twitter user @scocic uploaded a photograph, adding: "Huge fire by the Fereneze golf club right now!"

In response, another user said they could see billows of smoke over the town from Giffnock.

While Karen McDonald posted a picture of the fire on Facebook and wrote: "Massive fire up the Barrhead Braes, hope everyone is safe."

The SFRS spokesman issued a safety message to residents, adding: "Wild and grass fires can start by the careless disposal of cigarettes and barbecues or campfires left unattended.

"They then have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land, wildlife and threaten the welfare of nearby communities.

"The public can help prevent wildfires by making sure they dispose of litter and smoking materials carefully while in rural areas.

"Where these fires are unnecessary or even wilful, they can divert SFRS resources away from genuine emergencies.

"However, through robust and flexible strategic planning, our crews are always ready to respond to any incident to keep our communities safe."

The spokesman continued: "Grass and wildfires are a common risk at this time of year when warmer weather dries out vegetation – especially dead winter foliage – which offers an ample fuel source.

"The SFRS works closely with land managers, local government, communities and other safety partners to prevent these incidents from occurring."

For further information about wildfires and how to prevent them, visit www.firescotland.gov.uk or www.outdooraccess-scotland.com.