A rapid multi-agency response helped prevent a wildfire in the Pentland Hills from escalating into a major incident after fire broke out near Eastside Farm on Sunday evening.
The blaze, which started on 25 May, prompted a large-scale response involving the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), local farmers, estates and gamekeepers, against a backdrop of heightened wildfire risk across Scotland.
Six fire appliances were mobilised after the alarm was raised at 4.23pm, with crews remaining on site until around 10.22pm to bring the fire under control.
Alongside firefighters, a substantial local effort was coordinated by seasonal Eastside Farm worker Gavin Kippen, with 16 gamekeepers and 14 farmers deploying fogging units, ATVs and tractors across difficult terrain.
Support came from 10 estates, farms and rural businesses across the Pentlands and surrounding areas.
Local estimates suggest around 17 hectares were affected, but responders warned the fire could potentially have spread across as much as 550 hectares without swift intervention, threatening Black Hill and the wider Pentland ridge.
As well as the wider environmental impact, fires at this time of year pose a particular threat to sensitive moorland habitats and ground-nesting birds during the breeding season.
Jenny Cowan of Eastside Farm praised the response effort.
“We are extremely grateful to the Pentland community, and beyond, who came together to stop a wildfire in the Green Cleugh,” she said.
“Without the swift action of amazing volunteers, this wildfire would have been significantly worse. The farming and gamekeeping communities were exceptional, utterly selfless and brave in what was a frightening and fast-moving situation.
“The SFRS offered huge support and the Sighthill firefighters that were first on the scene were fantastic.
“I don’t use the term hero lightly, but those involved in the response effort were just that.”
Ross Ewing, director of moorland and strategic projects at Scottish Land & Estates, said the incident highlighted the importance of partnership working between land managers and emergency services.
“The people who work this land every day bring specialist knowledge, practical skills and equipment that the public sector alone cannot replicate at short notice,” he said.
He added that previously managed muirburn areas had helped create firebreaks and slow the spread of the blaze.
“When it comes to wildfire behaviour, the weather and topography are beyond our control. The one factor we can influence is fuel – the amount of above-ground vegetation available to burn,” he said.
“That is why active land management matters so much.”
Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour, head of prevention at SFRS, thanked the local farming and land management community for their support.
“Their knowledge, equipment and commitment proved invaluable in helping bring the fire under control so quickly,” he said.
He encouraged those interested in assisting future wildfire responses to join the SFRS Community Asset Register, which connects emergency services with trained volunteers and specialist equipment.
Neighbouring farmer and volunteer responder Nick Marshall said controlled muirburn should be recognised as an important wildfire prevention tool.
“The skills that helped to prevent this fire from becoming a much more serious incident were developed through decades of experience and generational knowledge of controlled muirburning,” he said.
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