Let’s not put city icon Arthur’s Seat at risk - Alex Cole-Hamilton
Once upon a time I would have treated the news that Donald Trump was threatening Canada with tariffs because of smoke from colossal wildfires drifting over the border into the US as a bit of exotic colour or perhaps something to roll my eyes at.
After all, this is a President who has unravelled all manner of environmental regulations getting hot under the collar over one of the inevitable consequences of climate change coming home to roost.
The reality is though that it is not just our North American neighbours who are seeing quite unprecedented fires taking hold.
Here in Edinburgh we have seen two major fires on Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags in the last three months.
As I write this Queen's Drive remains closed to all vehicles and police are manning the entrances to the park. The hillside above is scarred and blackened.
At its height, six fire engines were sent to tackle the fire as bone dry grass and gorse went up in smoke and clouds of thick dark smoke drifted into nearby housing.
We may never know exactly how it was started, whether it was a glass bottle, a poorly snuffed-out cigarette butt or a disposable barbecue improperly disposed of, but the impact has been severe, with tourists and locals blocked from an iconic Edinburgh landmark and damage to plants and wildlife plentiful. It is undoubtedly a sad sight to see.
It is not just Edinburgh which has seen recent wildfires. My colleague, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Andrew Baxter, has pressed Scottish ministers over access to emergency service helicopters as a major wildfire raged all week in the Highlands near the village of Glenmore.
Despite SNP Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray announcing that the fire had been "contained", estate workers, volunteers and firefighters had to labour on; bulldozing new fire breaks to contain the spread. They all deserve our sincerest thanks.
Six square kilometres of land had been affected resulting in homes and businesses, including campsites and a ski resort in the Glenmore Forest Park area, being evacuated as a safety precaution.
These wildfires are becoming an increasingly significant threat in the Highlands and across Scotland and we are very fortunate that neither the Edinburgh fire nor the one in the Cairngorms led to a loss of life
One thing local residents and businesses in the Highlands have been warning about is the slow and laborious process for mobilising specialist helicopter resources as part of wildfire suppression efforts.
We need to have a robust fire plan with aircraft that can be called upon at short notice, especially in those areas where much of the terrain is often difficult for fire officers to get to with their appliances and other equipment.
I would like to see both the Scottish and UK governments look at having publicly available firefighting aircraft during the wildfire season, rather than relying on private operators.
As our climate gets more and more extreme we must be properly prepared. For now, though, I would like to echo the warning of fire crews: please do not light fires, disposable barbecues or leave litter, including glass bottles and cigarette ends, which can increase the risk of fire.
Arthur’s Seat is an Edinburgh icon, let’s try to reduce the risk of another repeat.