Arthur's Seat fire: Human activity likely cause, says fire service
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A fire that tore through gorse on Arthur’s Seat on Sunday evening was likely caused by human activity according to the fire service.
Speaking to the BBC, Neil MacLennan, a Scottish Fire and Rescue service group commander, said that the fire while the cause of the fire was not yet known - a deliberate act of fire-raising could not be ruled out.
"It's very rare for any natural wildfires to start in this country.
"How that manifested we don't know at this stage but there will have been some form of human interaction and that's part of the risk for that area – it is a busy area.
"The risk is there for that type of fire to start."
Fire services rushed to the scene yesterday afternoon to battle the blaze on Arthur’s Seat. The fire was brought under control overnight on Sunday.
This morning, a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 4.05pm on Sunday, 10 August, to reports of a fire in the open at Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh.
“Operations Control mobilised four fire appliances and specialist resources to a fire affecting a large area of gorse.
“Two fire appliances currently remain at the scene where crews are continuing to dampen down hotspots.
"There are no reported casualties at this time.
“Members of the public are advised to stay away from the area.”
Dramatic images from the scene showed the extent of the blaze on Arthur’s Seat, which saw wildfires in 2019. Crowds gathered to watch as the fire service battled the blaze on Sunday afternoon.
Smoke and flames coul be seen for miles, with residents in Fife having posted shocking image of the smoke rising from across the Firth of Forth. Football fans watching Hibs play Kilmarnock at Easter Road could also see smoke billowing from the iconic landmark in the distance.
One resident, who was driving nearby when he spotted the fire and stopped, said ‘when one part is extinguished, another sets alight’.
He said: “Just as one part starts to slow down, another little pocket of fire emerges. It’s really quite scary to watch.
“I watched from Prestonfield Hotel and you can just see what looks like small parts being extinguished when another seems to set alight. Flames just appear from nowhere.”
Another said: “There is lots of smoke and the fire looks to be spreading really quickly. It’s a lovely day so the park was busy and there were people running away from the blaze.”
The Arthur’s Seat fire comes just days after a spate of wilful fire raising in East Lothian. Fields in Tranent and Musselburgh were both severely damaged within minutes of each other last week, with police launching an investigation into the fires.