Fire chiefs’ plea to families: Do NOT light BBQs
SWATHES of Scotland’s countryside are at ‘very high’ risk of wildfires as low rainfall levels create tinderbox conditions.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued an alert covering southern and eastern Scotland, and urged people to avoid lighting fires outdoors.
The situation comes as the whole of Britain struggles with issues caused by the lack of rain.
The Met Office’s fire severity index (FSI), an assessment of how severe a fire could become if one were to start, is very high for most of England and Wales, and will reach ‘exceptional’ – the highest level – in some places by this weekend.
On Wednesday, a wildfire spread over a patch of land between Balerno, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and Tarbrax, just off the Lang Whang in Lanarkshire.
Rural property management firm FBR Seed, which is based in the Borders, posted a message on social media stating: ‘With a lack of rain, we are seeing an increased number of fires in fields as ground conditions are tinder dry.’
Meanwhile, firefighters are called to dozens of barbecue fires in Scotland each year, the latest figures show. Statistics obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats highlight that there have been 161 fires involving barbecues in Scotland since 2017/18. More than half of the incidents occurred since 2020.
Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur said: ‘I would urge the public to listen to the fire service’s advice, never leave a barbecue unattended and always wait until ashes are cold to touch before binning them.’
Forestry and Land Scotland has also highlighted the issue, tweeting: ‘BBQs and campfires are extremely dangerous in dry conditions.’