Latest news with #NeilMacLennan
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Scotsman
Drone footage shows Arthur's Seat hillside burning over Edinburgh
This video More videos Dramatic drone footage has shown Arthur's Seat burning over Edinburgh, with black smoke rising into the sky. Keep up with the latest new videos with the Shots! Newsletter. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Fire crews were called to the iconic landmark shortly after 4pm on Sunday, August 10, after locals reported a fast-moving gorse fire tearing over the hillside. Shocking images taken at the scene show huge orange flames and thick black some coming from the top of the long-dormant volcano in Holyrood Park. The fire could be seen for miles, with many in the city and beyond having watched in horror as the hillside burned. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Police Scotland were also on the scene of the blaze and instructed members of the public to stay away from the area while firefighters tackled the flames. Yesterday, Neil MacLennan, a Scottish Fire and Rescue service group commander, said that while the cause of the fire was not yet known - a deliberate act of fire-raising could not be ruled out. He said: "It's very rare for any natural wildfires to start in this country. How that manifested we don't know at this stage but there will have been some form of human interaction and that's part of the risk for that area – it is a busy area.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Arthur's Seat fire ‘almost certainly' caused by human activity
A large fire on Arthur's Seat in the centre of Edinburgh was almost certainly caused by human activity, a fire chief has said. Flames spread rapidly across the hill in Holyrood Park on Sunday afternoon leading to the surrounding area being evacuated. The fire was brought under control overnight and there were no reported casualties. Asked how the blaze started, Neil MacLennan, a group commander for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: 'We don't have specifics … but what we can pretty much be certain of is it would have been some form of human behaviour or intervention of some sort. 'It's very rare for any natural wildfires to start in this country. 'How that manifested we don't know at this stage but there will have been some form of human interaction and that's part of the risk for that area – it is a busy area. 'The risk is there for that type of fire to start.' Photographs shared online showed plumes of smoke coming from Arthur's Seat with flames 10 to 15ft in height, according to witnesses hiking up the hill. Arthur's Seat is an ancient volcano that lies 251 above sea level, offering views of the city. The park is home to four hill forts, which have stood for two millennia, as well as a 15th century medieval chapel and Duddingston Loch, which attracts a wide variety of birds. Sunday's fire comes weeks after Scotland experienced the biggest wildfires in its history earlier this summer. Two separate blazes broke out within a few miles of each other and spread through Dava Moor, in Moray, and near Carrbridge, in the Highlands, in June. Prof Rory Hadden, the chairman of fire science at the University of Edinburgh, said most wildfires in Scotland were caused by human activity. He told Good Morning Scotland: 'Some of these can kind just be people in the countryside trying their best to enjoy themselves and making some mistakes.'
BBC News
7 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Arthur's Seat fire: Human activity likely cause, says fire service
A large fire on Arthur's Seat in the centre of Edinburgh was almost certainly sparked by human activity, a Scottish Fire and Rescue service group commander has said. Neil MacLennan said that the exact cause of the blaze was not yet known but that a deliberate act could not be ruled out. The fire, which spread rapidly across the hill in Holyrood Park on Sunday afternoon, was brought under control overnight. The area was evacuated as the flames spread and there were no reported casualties. Mr MacLennan said the "challenging" fire spready quickly through gorse and heather on the steep hillside. Asked how the blaze started, he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "We don't have specifics … but what we can pretty much be certain of is it would have been some form of human behaviour or intervention of some sort. "It's very rare for any natural wildfires to start in this country."How that manifested we don't know at this stage but there will have been some form of human interaction and that's part of the risk for that area – it is a busy area. "The risk is there for that type of fire to start." Arthur's Seat rises above Edinburgh from near the Scottish Parliament. Offering views of the city, it is a popular climb for locals and visitors. The hill also caught fire in February 2019, with dozens of firefighters working through the night to extinguish a large gorse blaze. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued several wildfire warnings this year, with the country seeing a particularly warm and dry that burned across moorland at Carrbridge and Dava in the Highlands earlier this summer have been called the biggest wildfires Scotland has ever seen. Why are wildfires more common? Professor Rory Hadden, chair of fire science at the University of Edinburgh, agreed that most wildfires in Scotland were caused by human told Good Morning Scotland: "Some of these can kind just be people in the countryside trying their best to enjoy themselves and making some mistakes."Prof Hadden said wildfires in Scotland were becoming larger, more common and more difficult to put out. With climate change was causing more extreme heat in the summer and milder temperatures in winter, the expert said this led to the growth of more vegetation, providing more "fuel" for fires. He added that changes in land use, such as an increase in rewilding as well as rural depopulation, were also contributory factors. The fire service said four appliances and specialist resources were sent to Arthur's Seat after the alarm was raised at about 16:05 on said two appliances remained at the scene on Monday.
