FIREFIGHTERS remain at the scene of a fire at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh for a third day.
Members of the public are advised to stay away from the area after the blaze took over the gorse on the hill on Sunday afternoon.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service group commander Niall MacLennan reiterated that there is still no indication of the cause of the fire, but added, "the majority of fires of this nature are started by human behaviour".
“We were alerted at 4.05pm on Sunday, 10 August, to reports of a fire in the open at Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh," MacLennan said in a statement.
“Operations Control initially mobilised four fire appliances and specialist resources to a fire affecting a large area of gorse.
“We currently have two fire appliances at the scene and firefighters are continuing to dampen down hotspots.
"There are no reported casualties at this time.
“Members of the public are advised to stay away from the area.”
He added: “Responsible human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a fire starting.
“It's vital to follow all safety advice when outdoors and to make sure you are familiar with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code at all times."
Dr Rory Hadden, Rushbrook senior lecturer in fire investigation at the University of Edinburgh, said wildfires are becoming more frequent due to climate and land use change.
He said there needs to be more awareness of wildfire risk and that careful thought must be given to how landscapes are managed and how to minimise the consequences of wildfires when they do happen.
Dr Hadden said: “Wildfires in and around Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh occur relatively often. Like this one, these typically burn relatively small areas (compared to other wildfires in Scotland) but can have relatively large impacts due to the location and proximity to people – the plume of smoke can exacerbate respiratory conditions as well as the direct danger to those on the hill.
“It has been very dry in Edinburgh this year. This means that vegetation – particularly dead growth from previous years – is very dry. The weather in Edinburgh has been reasonably good recently (sunny and warm) but with quite strong winds.
“This all acts to dry out even more of the dead vegetation, making it easy to ignite – and once ignited, for the fire to spread rapidly. Especially on the steep terrain of Arthur’s Seat.
“The location is popular with visitors and locals alike and with it being a nice day yesterday it was very busy. We know that most fires in Scotland are started by the actions of people (malicious or otherwise).
“The large number of people visiting and the very dry conditions are therefore a good mix for a wildfire to start and to spread. But it is too early to identify the specific cause of the fire in this instance.
“More generally we are seeing increases in wildfires in the UK due to climate and land use change.”
