Firefighters tackle Aberdeen wildfire urge public to be responsible

No one was injured and the blaze was extinguished early on Sunday morning

SFRS is urging people to be responsible as dry weather leads to an increased wildfire risk
Author: Molly TulettPublished 12th May 2024

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are urging people to take care using open flames in the countryside, after firefighters tackled a wildfire near Aberdeen on Saturday night.

The alarm was raised at 11.19pm on 11 May, with three fire engines rushing to Brimmond Hill, where around 100 square meters of gorse was alight.

Firefighters battled the blaze until it was extinguished at around 4.50am on Sunday.

SFRS issued a warning of an extreme risk for wildfire in Inverness-shire and large parts of northern Scotland on Saturday, while much of the rest of the country remains at very high risk.

There were no reports of injuries following the incident in Aberdeen.

SFRS warning

Group commander Niall MacLennan, an SFRS wildfire tactical adviser, said: "Over the weekend, the risk of wildfire is very real due to the higher temperatures and forecast low relative humidity.

"This contributes significantly to drying and lowering of moisture content in fine fuels, which are predominant in our countryside.”

The service is warning there is a lot of dead vegetation left over from last year on the ground, which can very quickly dry out and act as fuel for wildfires.

The weather over the next few days is expected to be dominated by high pressure and a combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strengthening winds, contributing to the wildfire risk.

Mr MacLennan continued: “If a naked flame comes into contact with this vegetation, it will act as a fuel and could spread rapidly."

He urged people heading into the countryside to behave responsibly and think twice before using any naked flames.

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