Wildfires becoming danger to human life, Scottish Government is warned

Gamekeepers who have helped battle wildfires have warned such blazes are “becoming a danger to human life” as they leave “stretched” firefighters unable to attend other incidents.

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) said that a “round-the-clock effort” from gamekeepers and land managers, working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, helped prevent two fires from merging into one larger blaze – a move which would have been a “nightmare scenario”.

The SGA spoke out as one veteran Highlands MSP said the wildfires “raging” across the area were “said by many locals to be the worst in our history”.

Fergus Ewing added that he had already urged the Scottish Government to convene its emergency response committee – the Scottish Government Resilience Room, known as SGORR.

His plea came after gamekeepers from across Scotland joined in efforts on both Saturday and Sunday to tackle three wildfires in the Cairngorms National Park.

Now the SGA is calling on the Scottish Government’s nature advisers at NatureScot to visit the sites of these blazes, to see first hand their impact and the efforts required to tackle them.

Speaking about the blazes, an SGA spokesperson said: “This is becoming a danger to human life because firefighters are becoming so stretched dealing with wildfires that they don’t have the resources to attend other fires.”

They insisted: “We need to have the Scottish Government and their advisers out now to see what is happening, while these fires are ongoing.”

The SGA also raised concerns about future controls on muirburn – the controlled burning of vegetation on peatland.

Gamekeepers say this practice prevents the build-up of combustible materials, but fear it in future this could be “severely restricted”.

The SGA spokesperson said: “We are about to introduce new legislation in Scotland which will severely restrict controlled muirburning while we are letting huge fuel loads build up across the country in planting schemes and rewilding areas.”

The spokesperson added that muirburn was a way to “control the fuel” that can burn in wildfires, saying that this “allows those fighting the fires to get a chance to catch it”.

They stated: “The Fire Service have been brilliant, working closely with gamekeepers and land managers, allowing them to back-burn to prevent flare-ups.

“The team working has been great and the police have really helped. But the fire service can’t be everywhere.

“At the moment, with the policies we have in Scotland, we are not protecting anything.”

Meanwhile, Inverness and Nairn MSP Mr Ewing said: “Wildfires presently raging in the highlands in my constituency and beyond are said by many locals to be the worst in our history.”

The MSP said he wanted SGORR to be convened to “coordinate the response to what is beyond question an emergency”.

Repeating his plea, Mr Ewing insisted that monitoring the situation was “not enough”, adding that efforts to tackle fires on Sunday had been “hampered through lack of helicopters”.

The former Scottish Government minister, who is now an independent MSP, insisted: “More help is urgently needed. That help must be procured and ordered now without delay.

“SGORR should therefore, in my view, be convened without delay.”

His comments came as firefighters were spending a third day battling three wildfires in the Highlands, tackling blazes in the Nairn, Dava and Lochindorb area north of Carrbridge after the alarm was raised on Saturday June 28.

Three fire appliances remained at the scene near Lochindorb on Monday, where the fire was more than three-and-a-half miles long.

Two fire crews were tackling the blaze at Dava while two were at the scene near Nairn, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said.

SFRS said: “If you live in the area and smoke is visible, keep your windows and doors closed.”

Several roads in the Carrbridge and Dava areas were closed while emergency services dealt with the incidents.

Police advised people to avoid the area if possible.

A spokesperson for NatureScot said: “We share the concerns about the current wildfires in the Cairngorms and thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, local land managers and gamekeepers for their efforts.

“Several NatureScot staff have also been on site today assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in tackling the blazes.

“Higher temperatures and droughts can increase the risk of wildfires, which can cause significant damage to our wildlife, habitats and communities.

“NatureScot recognises the important role that appropriate land management, including well-managed muirburn, can play in reducing wildfire risk.

“The new muirburn licensing scheme, scheduled for introduction on January 1 2026, is not intended to prevent responsible muirburn practices but rather to ensure they are carried out safely and appropriately.”

The agency said it had taken a “collaborative” approach to developing a new code for muirburn and a new application process will be launched this summer.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns about wildfires and we are in close contact with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and other responders as we continue to carefully monitor the situation.

“SFRS is fully prepared to deal with outbreaks and we are grateful to them and other first responders for their ongoing efforts to keep people and property safe.

“Although SFRS has not declared a major incident and no requests for mutual aid were made at this afternoon’s resilience partnership meeting, we stand ready to provide support as required.

“We recognise the importance of muirburn in creating firebreaks to help tackle wildfires and the new muirburn licensing scheme allows muirburn for the purpose of preventing wildfires.

“It will ensure muirburn is undertaken appropriately by trained individuals to minimise negative impacts on peatlands and other sensitive habitats.”