Large fire on Arthur's Seat 'shows why it's a mistake to close Edinburgh's Marionville fire station'
“It is so important to have fire crews with the local knowledge and who are very close by’ - David Strachan, FBU rep at Maionville
The huge grass fire on Arthur’s Seat earlier this week is yet more evidence of why it would be a mistake to close Edinburgh’s Marionville fire station, union leaders have said.
The Marionville fire engine was on the scene within two or three minutes of the alarm being raised on Monday evening and the crew played a vital role in getting members of the public off the hill as the fire began to spread.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the fire showed the danger and heightened risks faced if proposed closures in Edinburgh and across Scotland go ahead.
As part of a nationwide review, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) plans to close Marionville fire station, in Lochend, and transfer its fire engine and crew to Newcraighall. But there has been a strong campaign by residents, local politicians and the FBU to save the station.
They say big new housing developments in the area and key sites, such as Arthur’s Seat and Leith docks, mean a fire station nearby is essential.
The alarm was raised about the fire on Arthur’s Seat at 6.50pm on Monday. David Strachan, FBU rep at Marionville, said: “Marionville was the first fire engine mobilised and the first to arrive at the scene, taking just two or three minutes to get there.
"With the station being so close to Holyrood Park, they were able to get there very quickly and because of their local knowledge - the crews at Marionville understand the park better than anybody because they're there more often than anybody else - they were able to get to where they needed to get too as quickly as possible.
"When they first arrived the fire was already starting to get out of control. With everything being so dry it spreads incredibly quickly and becomes very intense very quickly. It was a small fire that started amongst the gorse and the wind took it.
“What they did, and what is essential in these circumstances, was clear members of the public as quickly as possible from the hill because of the speed at which the fire spreads and the intensity and heat of the fire, as well as the huge volume of smoke that is produced from an incident like that, and make sure everybody was safe.
“So they made their way up to the ridge above where the fire was and started to clear members of the public from that area, because the fear is that it spreads so quickly that people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time are just caught out by it.
“And in Edinburgh, especially in the summertime, when the weather is good, there are thousands of people that go up that hill every single day.”
The blaze required three fire crews to bring it under control. It burned overnight and the fire engines did not leave until later on Tuesday. A similar fire on Arthur’s Seat in August last year was bigger and burned for longer.
The cause of this week’s fire is still unknown, but police have issued an appeal for any information on how it might have started.
Mr Strachan continued: “For fire crews, trying to control fires like these is extremely challenging - the terrain is very steep, very rocky, very dangerous. It’s very hot, very heavy work and quite exhausting.
“It is so important to have people with the local knowledge and to have people who are very close by, able to respond rapidly, because if somebody is in the wrong place at the wrong time and there is a wind-driven fire of that nature it's only a matter of time before somebody gets injured or worse.”
John McKenzie, FBU regional secretary added: "This fire is yet further evidence of the importance of a rapid and effective response from firefighters to emergency incidents, and underlines the risks of planned cuts to that response.
“Scottish Government Ministers should look out of their comfortable offices in Holyrood and see for themselves the risk to communities if they continue to fail to provide the financial resources the SFRS needs."
The SFRS said there were no resourcing issues with the Arthur’s Seat fire. And it said the proposal to close Marionville was not a “cut” because the crews would move to Newcraighall.
SFRS Area Commander David Dourley said: “At 6.50pm on Monday, 25 May, we were alerted to reports of a large grass fire on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances to the area where firefighters worked to extinguish a fire affecting a large area of vegetation. There were no casualties, and crews left the area after ensuring it was safe.”