Arthur’s Seat Wildfire: Tourists Flee As Flames Race Across Iconic Edinburgh Landmark

Visitors were seen sprinting downhill arsenic a fast-moving blaze sent heavy fume crossed nan superior this afternoon. Fire crews rushed to nan segment wrong minutes.

Fire connected Arthur’s Seat: what happened and when

A awesome gorse occurrence erupted connected Arthur’s Seat successful Edinburgh conscionable earlier 4pm, this sunday, august 10,  sending gangly orangish flames and dense brown-grey fume into nan entity that could beryllium seen for miles. Witnesses described a sudden, accelerated dispersed and crowds “running down nan look of nan hill” to get clear arsenic nan occurrence pushed crossed nan slopes adjacent Crow Hill.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said they received nan first telephone astatine 4.05pm and quickly deployed 3 appliances and master teams. Video shared connected societal media shows a plume rolling complete nan metropolis skyline; different clip captures nan fume towering down a section shot match. At nan clip of writing, nan origin of nan blaze has not been confirmed.

Why gorse fires return clasp truthful quickly

Locals identified nan incident arsenic a gorse occurrence and that would explicate nan speed. Gorse is notoriously flammable, its oily foliage igniting easy and burning hot, which tin nonstop flames leaping uphill successful gusts and crossed barren vegetation. On steep crushed for illustration Holyrood Park, that tin create fast-moving fronts and difficult conditions for firefighters, particularly wherever entree is tight.

Arthur’s Seat, nan ancient volcano that crowns Holyrood Park beside nan Scottish Parliament and nan Royal Mile, is 1 of Edinburgh’s astir visited viewpoints. On engaged afternoons nan way web tin beryllium crowded, which is why witnesses reported group abandoning nan acme and scrambling to safer crushed arsenic fume thickened.

Safety and travel: what visitors should do now

If you’re successful nan area, travel instructions from constabulary and SFRS, steer clear of cordons and do not thrust aliases locomotion towards nan fume for photos—images besides showed cars pulled up astatine nan roadside arsenic group stopped to look. Expect impermanent closures to footpaths and sections of Holyrood Park while crews damp down hotspots and cheque for reignition.

We’ll update arsenic nan SFRS confirms nan origin and nan grade of damage. For now, nan connection is simple: debar nan hill, fto crews work, and springiness nan landmark a small breathing space.

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