Huge rise in the number of Scottish wildfires

Scotland's firefighters dealt with nearly 2,500 blazes on grassland, woodland and crops last summer.

That's around four times more than the figure for the same period in 2017 - between June and August - when there were 624.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is revealing the numbers as part of an appeal for people to take care in the countryside.

Its Assistant Chief Officer Ross Haggart said: “We have seen already this year the massive impact a large fire in the open can have.

“Huge swathes of land can be left ravaged by these fires, which can spread easily through high winds.

“The SFRS works tirelessly every year with our partners to help keep communities safe from these types of incidents.

“But communities can help us too. That’s why we are appealing to people to take great care – it is crucial that people act safely and responsibly in rural environments and follow the countryside code.

“Just one heat source, like a campfire ember, can cause it to ignite, and if the wind changes direction even the smallest fire can spread uncontrollably and devastate entire hillsides.

“People can help us by making sure they dispose of litter and smoking materials carefully while in rural areas."

Today's figures also show there were more than 500 deliberate primary fires in the same period.

ACO Haggart said: “These incidents put lives, property and the environment at risk. They can also delay firefighters in getting to a real emergency such as a house fire where every minute counts.

“Firefighters will be there to respond when called upon, but please think twice before deliberately starting a fire."