Highland wildfires now pose danger to human life

WILDFIRES in Scotland are “becoming a danger to human life”, experts have warned.

- By Richard Elias

It comes as emergency services continue to battle a series of blazes in the Highlands with flames up to 50ft high.

Yesterday, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) said a “round-the-clock effort” from their members, working closely with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, helped prevent two fires from merging into one, a move that would have been a “nightmare scenario”.

It added: “This is becoming a danger to human life because firefighters are so stretched dealing with wildfires they don’t have the resources to attend other fires. We need the Scottish Government and their advisers out now to see what is happening, while these fires are ongoing.”

Muirburn

A spokesperson for government agency NatureScot said: “We share concerns about the wildfires in the Cairngorms and thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, local land managers and gamekeepers for their efforts.