The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent six fire appliances and specialist resources to Arthur's Seat after a grass fire was reported at 6:38 p.m. local time on July 19. Crews worked through the night and remained at the Edinburgh landmark at 4 p.m. local time on July 20, with no casualties reported.
Queen's Drive through Holyrood Park remained closed while emergency crews worked. Police asked people to avoid the area and advised nearby residents to keep windows and doors shut because of smoke.
Crews remain at Edinburgh landmark
Arthur's Seat is a 251-meter hill in Holyrood Park, close to the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The site contains the remains of a fort dating back about 2,000 years and the ruins of the 15th-century St. Anthony's Chapel.
Local media reported fresh smoke and a helicopter over the hill on July 20, but APPI News could not verify that the fire had reignited. The cited reports did not give a cause or a final estimate of the area burned.
Warning extended as Cairngorms fire continues
The Edinburgh response coincided with a separate wildfire in the Glenmore area of Cairngorms National Park. Crews had been at that fire since July 15 and expected to remain for several more days.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum extended a very high wildfire risk warning through July 24 for the Central Highlands and southern and eastern Scotland. The warning did not cover the whole country.
Officials asked people in affected areas to avoid outdoor fires and barbecues and to prevent sparks. The alert was time-limited and has since expired, so current conditions and restrictions require up-to-date information from Scotland's emergency and park authorities.
Wildfires were also active elsewhere in Europe that summer. A related APPI News report covers firefighting deaths, evacuations and changing fire conditions in Greece and France.
