Urgent warning issued as warm weather brings 'very high' risk of wildfires across Scotland
Residents across Edinburgh and the Lothians are being warned of a ‘very high’ risk of wildfires in the coming days.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is urging residents to avoid using naked flames outdoors to help reduce the risk of wildfires. The assessment, released in conjunction with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), covers all areas in Scotland.
The Met Office has forecast warm and dry conditions in Edinburgh and surrounding areas for the rest of the week – prompting the SFRS to issue a very high danger assessment which is in place until Friday, May 9.
Elsewhere, an extreme danger assessment has been issued in the north of Scotland on Friday, and across mainland Scotland between Saturday, May 10 until Monday, May 12.
The SFRS is urging people who live in Scotland or who may enter rural environments to exercise caution, warning that wildfires have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land and wildlife.
Michael Humphreys, SFRS wildfire lead, said: "We are asking the public to exercise extreme caution and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame. Many rural and remote communities are hugely impacted by wildfires, which can cause significant damage.
"Livestock, farmland, wildlife, protected woodland and sites of special scientific interest can all be devastated by these fires - as can the lives of people living and working in rural communities.
"These fires can also have a hugely negative impact on the environment and the release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
"Human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting, so it is crucial that people act safely and responsibly in rural environments and always follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code."