Arthur's Seat fire: Crews battling blaze at iconic Scottish landmark into the night after 'visitors were forced to flee hill on foot'

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

Fire crews are working through the night to tackle a huge fire at a beauty spot in Edinburgh which sent a cloud of smoke across the city.
The fire broke out at Arthur's Seat at around 4pm on Sunday, as visitors were forced to make a quick getaway to avoid the flames.
Smoke clouds could be seen for miles around as a suspected wildfire burned through Holyrood Park in the Scottish capital.
Four fire crews were sent to tackle the blaze and remain on scene to try and contain the fire.
A fire service spokesperson confirmed there ad been no casualties.
A witness told Edinburgh Live they saw people 'running down the hill to get away from the smoke.'
The blaze caused disruption on Sunday afternoon as Police Scotland urged pedestrians and drivers to avoid the area.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: 'Crews are in attendance at a fire in the open at Arthur's Seat, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh.
Situated in Holyrood Park, Arthur's seat is an ancient volcano which sits 251 above sea level, high above the city below.
It is the highest point of the park and offers views of Edinburgh. It is also a site of Special Scientific Interest due to its unique geology.
The park has four hill forts which have stood for 2,000 years as well as a 15th century medieval chapel and Duddingston Loch, which attracts a wide variety of local birds.
The fire comes on one of the busiest weekends of the year in the city, with Edinburgh Fringe Festival in full swing.
The city also hosted two gig from Oasis on Friday and Saturday night, with the band returning for their third gig at Murrayfield on Tuesday night.
On Sunday afternoon, Hibernian fans were able to see the smoke from the stadium during their match vs Kilmarnock. Fans were told to avoid the Willowbrae, Duddingston and Holyrood areas when leaving the Easter Road stadium.
The fire could be seen for miles, with people as far as East Fife posting images of the blaze.
'Members of the public no longer need to alert our Operations Control room about this fire, as we are receiving a number of calls to this incident.'
The service later added: 'We were alerted at 4.05pm on Sunday, 10 August, to reports of a fire in the open at Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh.
'Operations Control mobilised four fire appliances and specialist resources to the area where firefighters are working to extinguish a fire affecting a large area of gorse.
'There are no reported casualties at this time and crews remain at the scene.'
An eyewitness told The Mail they were walking down from Caerketton, one of the hills in the Pentlands, when they spotted the smoke.
She said: 'How sad, however it started, to know wildlife will have been affected and local residents must be worried.
'I hope they are able to quell the fire quickly, with no injuries.'
The highlands recently saw one of the biggest wildfires Scotland has ever seen.
In April the country was put on red alert after a string of dramatic blazes hit the country.
Emergency services were deployed to battle raging fires that were hitting vast tracts of land in both rural and urban areas.
Fire chiefs called on people to act responsibly after the extreme warning was issued for the whole of Scotland.
It followed nearly two weeks where just 0.2mm of rain fell in Scotland, with temperatures 4c warmer than usual.