Arthur's Seat fire: Incredible drone footage of blazing landmark as people flee
The blaze at Edinburgh's popular tourist site Arthur's Seat spread rapidly on Sunday with police warning people in the area to stay away from the site of the fire
Dramatic drone footage captured Edinburgh's Arthur Seat on fire as people fled the area.
Fire crews have been battling a fire that broke out in the open at the landmark and beauty spot in Holyrood Park. Smoke could be seen billowing in the sky for several miles with fire service reporting it received multiple calls from concerned members of the public.
People were seen fleeing Arthur's Seat as the blaze spread rapidly across Holyrood Park on Sunday afternoon, with police warning bystanders to stay away from the area. The landmark is close to Edinburgh and is popular among tourists and locals. It comes after a mum was left 'traumatised' after a dog walker pushes her in canal as she cycles to work.
Read more: Maryland house fire: Six dead, including four children, after horror fire
Read more: Massive fire at Morrisons supermarket petrol station sparking urgent evacuation
Drone footage taken above the city showed a plume of smoke rising into the sky in the distance. The steady stream of smoke continued throughout the clip.
Nick Brice, from Brighton, said he was scared when he witnessed the fire spreading down the hillside. He told BBC Scotland News: "We could see this little plume of smoke on the ridge at the far side and it just got bigger and bigger.
"All of a sudden we could see these flames starting to come up and people noticed it spreading fast. The smoke started to really build and then these flames started to cover the ridge and we realised the wind was blowing it right towards us. We had to get down to the road fast because it was going to come across the whole area."
Scottish Fire and Rescue said in a statement: " Members of the public no longer need to alert our Operations Control room about this fire, as we are receiving a number of calls to this incident." The fire was spotted around 4pm yesterday (Sun) and members of the public were urged to stay away from the area.
One witness said: "The smoke could be seen from across the city." Arthur's Seat is the main hill and an extinct volcano that covers a large part of Holyrood Park and is 250 meters above sea level with stunning views over the city.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported casualties. The fire happened on one of the busiest weekends for the city with the Edinburgh festivals well underway.
On Sunday, Hibernian and Kilmarnock supporters were told to avoid the Willowbrae, Duddingston and Holyrood areas when leaving Easter Road stadium.