Warning as fireman falls into blazing bing

A FIREMAN who fell into a smouldering bing in Midlothian has escaped serious injury amid warnings that the public keep away from the site.

The firefighter plunged chest deep into the blazing pit after an unstable section of earth collapsed during investigations into an underground fire at Arniston Bing, Gorebridge.

He was uninjured in the fall but, in a report to councillors, Midlothian group commander Cameron McKenzie said the “incident did have the potential to result in a far more serious outcome”.

The subterranean fire, which was reported on Monday, is now thought to be under control but an exclusion zone has been mounted as a small fire still burns below ground.