'No barbecues, no open fires': Fire chiefs issue stark warning as Arthur's Seat burns

Firefighters expect to remain at the scene of a huge wildfire near Arthur’s Seat for "a couple of days" after smoke billowed into the sky above Edinburgh.

The blaze on Salisbury Crags was first sparked at around 6.30pm on Sunday evening with emergency services racing to the area.

Plumes of smoke rose overnight, with images and videos shared on social media showing the fire catching and spreading quickly despite the work of emergency services.

By Monday morning (July 20), most of the fire had been extinguished by crews who remained in place overnight.

However the cliffside facing St Leonard’s Bank reignited briefly in the afternoon, with a police helicopter patrolling and issuing a warning to Holyrood Park visitors to avoid the area.

Plumes of smoke from Holyrood Park could be seen from passengers on planes arriving at Edinburgh Airport on Sunday night | Supplied

John Henderson, assistant chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said that crews were expecting to “be there for a couple of days”.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: “The fire on Arthur’s Seat, at the minute, is about 0.01 kilometres squared.

“Protracted wildfire incidents, they’re weather-driven, we deal with them in partnership, they take a protracted period of time to deal with them.

“We tend to be there for protracted periods of time, even after the fire is extinguished to make sure that we’re maintaining the hotspots.

“The feeling from the ground there is that we’ll probably be there for a couple of days, continuing to tackle that and dampen out hotspots from those.”

Concerned residents watched on as flames spread across the hill at around midnight | Supplied

Mr Henderson also urged the public to take caution when enjoying outdoor spaces, adding: “In any of the areas where we’ve got wildfire warnings, or as I said on Arthur’s Seat, we don’t advocate any open flames.

“So, no sources that could start a spark – so no use of barbecues, no open fires, nothing along those lines, and really tidy up after yourself.”

SFRS previously issued a “very high” wildfire warning for the central Highlands, southern, and eastern Scotland from Wednesday, July 15 until Monday, July 20.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said it was “incredibly saddened” to see Holyrood Park up in flames again following previous wildfire incidents.

The heritage body also confirmed that rules are already in place to ban at-risk items such as disposable barbecues in Holyrood Park, saying: “We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland who, along with our Rangers, responded so quickly to protect the park.

The body also echoed Mr Henderson’s sentiment, adding: “With hot and dry weather increasing the risk of wildfires, please help us protect Scotland's parks and green spaces by taking extra care: do not light fires or disposable barbecues, do not discard cigarettes or matches, take all litter home with you, especially glass bottles which can intensify heat and increase fire risk.”

The flames could be seen just metres from Queen's Drive, which was later closed as the fire escalated | Neil Pooran/PA Wire

As a result of the emergency service response, Queen’s Drive from Holyrood Gait has been closed to traffic and pedestrians.

Nearby residents have spoken to the Evening News about their experience of seeing the wildfire.

Alison, who lives just south of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, said: “I spent the morning cleaning ash off of my garden furniture. The car is covered too, so I’ll be taking that to the car wash.”

There were also reports of ash being found on cars as far east as Dalkeith, with the wind picking up smoke and debris overnight.

Emma, a resident of a flat on Dumbiedykes Road which overlooks the affected area, said: “We were watching all night from the window. It started so small and just spread so quickly, it was crazy.”

Fire crews worked on ensuring that the fire did not spread | Iconic Media Group

SFRS said in its latest update to the public: “We were alerted at 6.38pm on Sunday, 19 July to reports of a fire in the open at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.

“Operations Control mobilised six fire appliances and specialist resources to the scene where firefighters are working to extinguish a fire affecting an area of grass.

“Our crews remain on scene having worked throughout the night fighting the fire.

“Operations will continue until the fire is fully extinguished.

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“We ask the public to please avoid the area and remind them that road closures are in place. Anyone affected by smoke should close their windows and doors.

“We also urge people to remain vigilant during this hot spell of weather, and we thank them for their understanding.”

The wildfire near Arthur’s Seat also comes as SFRS crews continue to battle a huge blaze in the Cairngorms National Park.

The response has continues for six consecutive days with SFRS saying in its latest update that it is “making progress” to contain the fire.