Firefighters battle overnight blaze on Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano overlooking Edinburgh and standing in the middle of Holyrood Park, was still being damped down by two fire engines at 15:00 on Tuesday after a large grass and gorse blaze burned overnight. The fire drew crews into one of Scotland’s most visible urban landmarks, with smoke seen from across the capital and as far away as Fife.

Emergency services were called to the scene at about 4.05pm on Sunday, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent four appliances and specialist resources after the alarm was raised. Police urged people to stay away from the area as the blaze spread across the hill in the centre of Edinburgh, close to homes, visitors and the city’s busiest routes through Holyrood Park.

By Monday, two appliances remained at the scene. Park rangers continued to monitor the situation while firefighters kept working through the night to contain the flames. No injuries were reported, but the scale of the smoke plume, visible for miles, turned a local grass fire into a public safety incident watched from outside the city as well as within it.

The fire placed fresh attention on how quickly dry grass and gorse can ignite on Arthur’s Seat, where similar blazes have previously required overnight firefighting and emergency response. On a landmark that draws tourists, walkers and local residents year-round, access restrictions and a rapid emergency response became part of the story as soon as the smoke started to rise over Holyrood Park.

The scene on Tuesday showed the slow work that follows the initial knockdown of a hill fire in an urban park, with crews still damping down hotspots hours after the main blaze had been brought under control. In the capital’s centre, where the volcano rises above roads, paths and viewing points, the incident was a reminder that wildfire risk is not confined to remote countryside.