Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews were tackling a large blaze at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh on Sunday evening after being alerted at 6.38pm on Sunday, 19 July. Four fire appliances were at the scene as the fire burned in the open at the peak in Holyrood Park.
The service said, "We are currently attending a fire in the open at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh." It added: "Four fire appliances are at the scene. We were alerted at 6.38pm on Sunday, 19 July."
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
The same statement said, "There is no need to call Operations Control regarding this incident." That left the service handling the response through its own crews while the fire remained active at the Edinburgh landmark.
Arthur's Seat is a peak in Holyrood Park, and the blaze drew attention because it was visible enough to prompt social media posts from Edinburgh. Julie Bertagna posted a photo captioned, "Flames on Arthur’s Seat/Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh. Looking bad. #wildfire ?"
Those posts described the scene more starkly than the service's brief update, which focused on the response rather than the cause. The fire was being dealt with as an open blaze, and the public messages showed concern about the scale and appearance of the fire as it spread across the hill.
The cause of the blaze has not been given in the available statements. For people in Edinburgh, the practical point was immediate: the fire was active on Sunday evening, four appliances were already deployed, and the service had told the public not to contact Operations Control about the incident.
