Tag: wildfires

Preparing for wildfires

Learning lessons and building resilience

Representatives of organisations involved in tackling the wildfires which took place across Scotland this year came together yesterday to reflect on how to prevent future incidents.

The event is a result of Scotland enduring the largest wildfires in living memory, with 13 wildfire alerts in Scotland this year alone and Dava in the Highlands enduring the worst damage.

It was co-chaired by Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie and Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown in the Cairngorms National Park and attendees included the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), NatureScot, Scottish Land and Estates, land managers and environmental organisations.

Mr Fairlie said: “It took an astonishing effort across so many sites to tackle the wildfires we saw this year, and we are grateful to all those who helped.

“This is a chance for us to look at what worked, and what lessons we need to learn from what happened.”

Ms Brown said: “Since the wildfires, we’ve engaged closely with SFRS, local communities and Scottish public sector bodies on building resilience to wildfires.

“We continue to support the full implementation of the SFRS wildfire strategy, which will see the continued roll-out this year of new equipment, vehicles and Personal Protective Equipment.”

SFRS Director of Prevention, Assistant Chief Officer Jon Henderson said: “This year Scotland has faced an unprecedented scale of wildfire risk, and our crews have attended more than 200 wildfires across the country.

“Wildfires can employ a significant amount of our resources, they also have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land and wildlife, threatening the welfare of nearby communities.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners, landowners and communities in both our response and importantly to help prevent wildfires, and we welcome the opportunity to participate in this summit.”

Head of Land Management at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Colin McClean, said: “The Park Authority welcomes this event, which provides an opportunity for critical conversations to take place on wildfire mitigation and management.

“Alongside ministers and stakeholders, we look forward to discussing solutions for building on the work we are already doing here in the National Park.

“Through our Integrated Wildfire Management Plan, the Climate Adaptation Fund and the new fire byelaw (recently approved by Scottish Ministers and coming into effect in 2026), we are putting in place clear, practical measures to reduce the risk of wildfire. Coming together at events like this will help strengthen that work and ensure we are as prepared and resilient as possible.”

A roundtable discussion with MSPs will be held following Parliamentary recess to share the findings from wildfire engagements to date and to give parliamentarians the opportunity to make contributions before any next steps.

Arthur’s Seat Fire: experts warn of glass bottle fire risk

Sunday’s wildfire at Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat, was thought to have been started by ‘human activity’. While this could be a range of things, one possible reason could be discarded litter.

Glass waste experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk warn locals that discarded litter, particularly glass, left in direct sunlight and near grass, can ignite and spread quickly. To help reduce the risk of more fires, they are urging locals to carefully dispose of empty glass bottles to prevent fires. 

What’s the risk?

Wildfires are on the rise, with research finding that by April 2025, the UK had already surpassed records for the area of land burnt by wildfires.

So far this year there have been 175 fires, burning an area of over 40,000 hectares – that’s an area more than twice the size of the city of Glasgow.

Fires like these are becoming more common due to climate change. One study found that human-induced climate change makes the dangerous conditions needed for wildfires at least six times more likely.

Why is glass waste an issue?

Glass waste, specifically any that’s clear or curved like drinks bottles, can act as a magnifying glass in direct sunlight and start fires. The magnifying effect of glass can project the sun’s rays onto dry material like grass, wood, or paper. When this reaches a certain temperature it can ignite a fire. Combine this with dry and windy conditions, and fires spread quickly.

While this may sound an unlikely combination of factors, it’s more common than many people realise. For example, a fire in the Peak District in May was attributed to discarded bottles, and a similar situation was seen on the Isle of Arran in April. 

Outside of wildfires, glass also poses a risk in the home. Residents should be careful when disposing of glass into open top bins, especially when combined with other combustible materials found in dry mixed recycling, such as paper and cardboard. Alongside this, a single glass bottle left on dry garden grass could be enough to start a fire. 

Beyond the obvious risk to health and life, wildfires, especially those that burn the UK’s moorland, can be ecologically devastating. They can wipe out whole ecosystems and make local areas more prone to future flooding. 

How should you dispose of glass?

If you take any glass bottles with you to open outdoor spaces, you should always take them home with you. Never leave glass exposed in direct sunlight for long periods of time, especially alongside dry vegetation and materials like paper and cardboard. 

Glass should always be recycled. Waste glass is a valuable resource that can be constantly recycled into new glass products. If glass is sent to landfill, the raw material is lost and more must be mined to create new products. Recycling glass saves up to 30% of the energy compared to making new glass from raw materials.

What to do if you spot a fire

First, ensure you get yourself and anyone you are with to safety. Once you have done so, call 999 to report the fire. Try to give as much detailed information as you can about the location – What3Words can be helpful to pinpoint fires. Never attempt to put out a wildfire yourself, as these types of fires can behave erratically. 

What are the consequences if your litter leads to a fire?

If your litter causes a fire, and you left this ‘deliberately’ or ‘recklessly’, this might be classed as arson5 under the Criminal Damage Act 1971. This could result in a criminal record, unlimited fines, and even a prison sentence. 

Littering itself can see you issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £500, or a fine in court of up to £2,500.

Graham Matthews, glass waste expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk, said: “Many people aren’t aware of the danger discarded glass poses. But as the weather heats up, it’s essential that the public are careful with all waste.

“We know that climate change is only escalating the risk of wildfires across the UK, and we have seen many concerning instances of just a single glass bottle being responsible for burning huge swathes of the countryside. 

“We urge people to be responsible and considerate with any glass waste, both in and outside the home. You should always take your litter with you regardless, but the consequences are so much higher in hot, dry weather.

“While leaving glass bottles unattended or littered may seem like a simple moment of carelessness, the lasting impact on our environment can be huge.”

Scotland’s Resilience committee responds to huge wildfire

SGoRR met last night to discuss ongoing situation

The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) met last night to discuss the response to an ongoing wildfire in the Galloway area.

The meeting was chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Angela Constance, and attended by partner agencies including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Forestry and Land Scotland.

The meeting heard that progress has been made in bringing the fire under control today, but that the incident remains ongoing. People are being urged to stay away from the area and any nearby residents should keep their doors and windows closed.

Ms Constance said: “I am extremely grateful to all the first responders who have been working hard to control this fire since it was first reported on Thursday. Thanks to their efforts, significant progress has been made and the situation is currently under control.

“I am reassured to hear that so far there has been no damage to properties or mature woodland. However, this remains an on-going incident and the situation will be re-assessed at first light.

“Earlier this week the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service issued an extreme wildfire warning due to the dry conditions across much of Scotland.

“As we continue to see a period of warm and dry weather, it’s essential that all of us act responsibly while enjoying the outdoors so we can keep the number of wildfires at an absolute minimum.”

An extreme wildfire warning was issued by SFRS last week.

Fire Brigades Union: Governments must ‘heed stark warning’ of Scottish wildfire visible from space

This week, firefighters have battled a wildfire that started burning on Sunday afternoon near Cannich, south of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. 7,400 hectares have burned so far, with images of the 22-mile long plume of smoke captured by NASA from space.

Two firefighters injured tackling the blaze have since been released from hospital.

Wildfires require a significant number of firefighters to respond due to the extensive terrain, physically demanding work over long periods of time, transporting equipment by hand while being exposed to significant temperatures.

A decade of budget cuts has left Fire and Rescue Services stretched for resources while climate related incidents have increased in frequency and severity. J

uly 2022 saw the temperature in parts of the UK exceed 40 degrees centigrade for the first time in recorded history, increasing the risk of wildfires.

Last week the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service announced further cuts on top of a decade of austerity. These cuts will see the loss of ten fire appliances, reducing fire cover and impacting firefighters’ ability to respond to incidents.

Since 2010, 11,500 firefighters have been cut across the UK, and Scotland alone has lost 1,100 firefighters since 2013.

Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary said: “Throughout this week, firefighters in Scotland have bravely battled what is now believed to be one of the biggest wildfires in UK history and which can be seen from space.

“Two of our members have already been injured working in these extreme conditions. Thankfully both have now returned home. However, this shows us the real dangers of the climate emergency. 

“Wildfires, such as the ones we are seeing in Cannich at the moment, are on the rise year on year. 

“All governments must heed this stark warning: the climate crisis is here now. We need urgent climate action to prevent loss of life, and that must also involve serious investment in our fire services.”

Wildfire warning in place

A ‘very high’ risk of wildfire remains in place across large parts of Scotland this weekend, the country’s fire and rescue service has warned.

As public lockdown restrictions are eased amid the coronavirus pandemic, people who live within or who may enter any rural environments have been warned to exercise extreme caution.

Following several weeks of dry weather conditions, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Area Commander Bruce Farquharson has stressed that Scotland’s countryside is “vulnerable” to fire.

A spate of wildfires could place unnecessary pressure on the emergency services as they already work to support partners and protect the public amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

The ‘very high’ wildfire warning – released in conjunction with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF) – remains in place until Monday, June 1.

Area Commander Farquharson, who is also chair of the SWF, said: “While we appreciate that many people will seek to enjoy the outdoors during this spell of good weather this weekend, we urge everyone to make sure that they don’t increase the chance of wildfire.

“We have had very little rain over the past two months, and a large volume of dead, bone-dry vegetation remains left over from last year – which essentially acts as a fuel for fire.

“As a result, there are currently vast areas of countryside all over the country that is tinder dry and vulnerable, and has all of the ingredients for fire to take hold and spread.

“We are asking the public to exercise extreme caution and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame, such as disposable barbecues or campfires.”

Wildfires can start by the careless disposal of barbecues or campfires left unattended. They then have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land and wildlife; threaten the welfare of nearby communities; and place a strain on the emergency services.

In recent weeks, notable wildfires in New Galloway forest in Dumfries and Galloway, at Wester Ross in the Highlands, and on Kilpatrick Hills near Clydebank, have drawn upon significant SFRS resources across several days.

During the Spring period last year, SFRS crews worked tirelessly to tackle and contain more than 2,000 fires involving grasslands, woodlands and crops – three times as many as the same period in 2018.

Area Commander Farquharson continued: “We would always stress the importance of being vigilant in areas of countryside, but right now we are in a unique and testing period for all emergency services.

“Large wildfires require huge resources to bring under control, and this has the potential to then impact on our entire structure across Scotland.

“We will always do our utmost to protect our communities, and to save life and property from harm at all times – but we also need the public to help us.

“Human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting, so it is crucial that people act safely and responsibly in rural environments, and always follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.”

For further advice and information about wildfires and how to prevent them visit: