Firefighters are expected to remain at a blaze on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh for a couple of days, according to a senior officer in the fire service. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) received a report at about 6.30pm on Sunday evening, with four appliances sent to the scene. By 6.30am on Monday, six appliances were tackling the blaze.
Fire Chief Discusses Response
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, assistant chief officer John Henderson of the SFRS discussed the response in Edinburgh, as well as the work ongoing to tackle the wildfire in the Cairngorms, which has been burning since last week. He described the Cairngorms fire as covering about six-and-a-half square kilometres, while the Arthur's Seat fire is about 0.01 square kilometres.
Henderson explained: "Protracted wildfire incidents, they're weather-driven, we deal with them in partnership, they take a protracted period of time to deal with them. We tend to be there for protracted periods of time, even after the fire is extinguished to make sure that we're maintaining the hotspots." Specifically on the Edinburgh blaze, he said: "The feeling from the ground there is that we'll probably be there for a couple of days, continuing to tackle that and dampen out hotspots from those."
Cause of Fires Unknown
The cause of both fires remains unknown, with crews focused on containing and extinguishing the blazes before an investigation can be carried out. Henderson urged the public to be sensible when outdoors, saying: "In any of the areas where we've got wildfire warnings, or as I said on Arthur's Seat, we don't advocate any open flames. So, no sources that could start a spark – so no use of barbecues, no open fires, nothing along those lines, and really tidy up after yourself."
Local Residents React
Edinburgh University student Mahek Jayantilial, 24, who lives near Arthur's Seat, said she could see the fire from her window. "I was a bit worried because I thought the fire would come this way, but thankfully there's enough concrete here to stop it, and the firefighters have isolated the area, which is good," she said.
She added: "Seeing the mountain being on fire is a bit upsetting because we didn't have rain for like a couple weeks. All the grass has dried off, and it was bound to happen, like a small bit of glass or a poorly snuffed-out cigarette butt would have ignited it, and then something so small creates such a big fire. But thankfully, I don't think anyone's hurt. But it's not good to see really. I worry about the wildlife, honestly, and sometimes it could be the environment itself, global warming as well."
Callum Smith, who lives locally, expressed concern about the impact on a nearby peregrine falcon nesting site. "Peregrine falcons have been nesting here for four, five, six years, possibly longer," he explained. "And there is a nest exactly where the fire was, above the fire on the cliffs itself. There were two adults and two chicks. And the youngest chick hadn't fledged yet, which meant it cannot fly unsupported. Possibly the two adults and the eldest chick would have been able to fly away, but the outcome for the youngest one is unclear. Unfortunately, the smoke traversed over the top of the cliffs and onto the cliffs, so the smoke would have gone directly onto the nest site."
Road Closure and Safety Advice
Police Scotland said Queen's Drive remained closed because of the fire. A spokesperson said: "Emergency services remain in attendance, and the public should continue to avoid the area. Residents in the local area should keep windows and doors closed."
