Tuesday July 21st 2026
Aftermath of the fire on Salisbury Crags, near Arthurs Seat, on Sunday 19 July. The image shows dead vegetation which has turned black due to the flames.
Written by Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
The Scottish Greens have labelled wildfire threats as a national emergency following the recent fire near Arthur’s Seat, explaining that if ‘the hills overlooking our Parliament are in flames, it’s a sign that things have gone too far’.
Making the call following a large fire near Arthurs Seat and in the Cairngorms, the Green party have explained that the recent incidents underline the future the nation faces unless ‘we urgently adapt to the climate crisis’, with Green MSP Ariane Burgess making strong calls to treat wildfires as a national emergency.
On Sunday (July 19) at 6:38pm emergency services were called to tackle a large blaze that took over Salisbury Crags, next to Arthur’s Seat. Six appliances were sent to Holyrood Park with crews remaining on the scene yesterday morning and through the day with vegetation below the cliff face being turned black due to the flames.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) explained that there were ‘no reported casualties’ but road closures are in place.
SFRS Local Senior Officer for City of Edinburgh, Area Commander David Dourley, explained: “We were alerted at 6.38pm on Sunday, 19 July to reports of a fire in the open at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
“Operations Control mobilised six fire appliances and specialist resources to the scene where firefighters are working to extinguish a fire affecting an area of grass.
“There are no reported casualties.
“We ask the public to please avoid the area and remind them that road closures are in place.
“We also urge people to remain vigilant during this hot spell of weather, and we thank them for their understanding.”
With this being the second fire in the last three months on the hill, many people are concerned about the rising threats of fire. The Scottish Government’s climate change plan, published this year, concluded that ‘the changing climate heightens the risk of wildfire across Scotland, as we have seen throughout recent years. Wildfires release carbon into the atmosphere, can damage or destroy sensitive and rare habitats, can kill species and pose a significant risk to people and property.’
Making calls to create more prevention, Scottish Greens MSP Ariane Burgess is urging the Scottish Government to treat wildfire risk as a national emergency and accelerate climate adaptation measures across Scotland’s most vulnerable regions.
She explained: “When our national park has been burning for days and the hills overlooking our Parliament are in flames, it’s a sign that things have gone too far.
“It is also a glimpse of what is to come without immediate action. We cannot let the scenes of recent years become even more normalised.
“We should all be grateful to the brave firefighters who have worked around the clock to keep us safe. The best way to repay them is to ensure they have the resources they need, while taking meaningful action to reduce the risk of these fires happening in the first place.
“That means investing in wildfire prevention, improving early warning and response systems, helping communities prepare for extreme weather, and restoring peatlands, woodlands and other habitats that can make our landscapes more resilient.
“Local people have watched in devastation as some of our most iconic landscapes have been ravaged, with dry grass providing a tinderbox for the flames. Every fire leaves lasting trauma for communities and nature, and inflicts further damage on our environment.
“The threat is even higher in rural and island communities where our fire services are often more reliant on volunteers and our biodiversity can be particularly fragile.
“Scotland has the expertise and the tools to act. We need sustained investment in prevention and community resilience, urgent ecological restoration, and the support and resources our fire service needs.”
Ariane added:
“It is staggering to me that, even as we witness scenes like these, our governments are still considering throwing fuel on the fire through more oil and gas drilling, which will only make events like this more likely.
“It’s time to treat the wildfire risk as the national emergency it is — and to match that urgency with action.”
Tweet Share on FacebookNews
