Wildfire warning set at ‘very high’ for next six days in some parts of Scotland

A wildfire warning has been set for the next six days, with the risk being “very high” in some parts of Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said.

Firefighters issued the alert for the east and south of the country, which they said are most at risk as temperatures are forecast to rise this week.

The warning will stay in place until Monday August 15.

During this time, fire crews warned flames could burn and spread with high intensity, and with wind speeds expected to be light to moderate, fires could re-kindle and be challenging to extinguish.

The advice was issued with temperatures in Edinburgh expected to peak at 27C on Thursday and reach the same maximum temperature in Glasgow across Saturday and Sunday.

Members of the public have been advised to take care when in the countryside, and to avoid lighting fires outdoors.

Bruce Farquharson, depute assistant chief officer with SFRS, said: “The next six days will bring a prolonged period of high temperatures and that means the risk of wildfires breaking out increases.

“Our crews will be ready to respond to every emergency to protect our communities.

“But there are simple steps that we can all take when we are spending time outdoors to prevent vast damage to the environment and protect emergency service workers from attending avoidable incidents.

“Please exercise the utmost caution and avoid lighting fires outdoors but if you must, check for restrictions or permissions required by the landowner and make sure you use a fire safe pit or container that can be properly extinguished before you leave.”