Tourists flee huge wildfire breaking out at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh

People have fled a huge wildfire engulfing a famous tourist hotspot overlooking Edinburgh.

Smoke can be seen billowing for miles across the Scottish city after the fire broke out on Sunday at 4pm.

A witness told Edinburgh Live: ‘There is a major wildfire on Arthur’s Seat which is spreading rapidly.

‘People are running down the face of the hill to get away from it and smoke is spreading really fast.’

Another witness, who was on the hill, told The Sun: ‘It was crazy how fast the fire was spreading.

‘It started with just a small area and within minutes it was huge.

‘It is really windy up at the top so that will be making it spread faster.’

One local told Metro: ‘It’s still raging, the flames seem to have spread to the other side now.

‘Luckily, I’m quite far away so didn’t see anyone running away.’

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘We have three appliances and specialist services in attendance.’

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘Emergency services are responding to a fire at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area.’

Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano and the main peak of the hills in Holyrood Park, right next to Edinburgh’s city centre.

There have been at least six fires in areas around the 251 metre high Arthur’s Seat since 2018.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued wildfire warnings this year, with the country seeing a particularly warm and dry summer.

Last month, the Highlands saw the ‘biggest wildfires the country has ever seen’, according to landowners.

Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) estimated the fires that broke out in late June and early July affected 29,225 acres (11,827 hectares) – an area almost 30 times bigger than Lanarkshire’s Strathclyde Park.

It came after a huge fire in Druridge Bay, Northumberland was caused by a campfire.

A Northumberland Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: ‘We received reports of a large fire on the dunes at Druridge Bay in at 11:54 on Sunday 10 August.

‘The fire is believed to have been started by a campfire, which got out of control. Four appliances and a fogging unit are currently in attendance and the fire is now under control.’