Flame breaks out at the prominent landmark, Arthur's Seat in Scotland
In the heart of Holyrood Park in central Edinburgh, a wildfire has been burning at the iconic landmark of Arthur's Seat since Sunday, August 10, 2025. Named after the British King Arthur of the 5th century, Arthur's Seat stands at a height of 823 feet and is a popular tourist destination.
The fire, believed to have been triggered by human activity, has been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and emergency services. Despite the dry summer of 2025, which has been the worst since the record dry spring of 1964, natural causes for such fires in the UK are very rare. As a result, fire chiefs suspect that the fire was sparked by some form of human behaviour or intervention, although the exact cause remains unknown.
Firefighters have been actively responding to and managing the fire since it began. As of August 15, 2025, they were still present at the scene, working to dampen hotspots and fully extinguish the fire. The SFRS has deployed 4 fire emergency vehicles and an expert crew to the scene. The public has been advised to avoid the area for safety reasons.
The ongoing fire at Arthur's Seat is not the first such incident in the landmark's history. In 2019, a fire affected an area of 8611 square feet and took approximately 8-9 hours to control.
The SFRS has issued multiple climate change warnings in 2025, highlighting the increasingly dangerous fire conditions as a result of the harsh dry summer. The water shortage crisis in Scotland has been a direct consequence of the record dry spring of 1964 and the ongoing dry summer.
Despite the ongoing investigation, no specific findings on the cause of the fire have been announced yet. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service continues to monitor the situation closely but has not released any further public updates on the investigation. As of the announcement, there have been no reported deaths.
References:
[1] Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (2025). Fire at Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh. Retrieved from https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/news/fire-at-arthurs-seat-edinburgh
[2] BBC News (2025). Fire at Arthur's Seat: Human activity likely cause, say fire chiefs. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-and-lothians-61624685
[3] Met Office (2025). Scotland's record dry summer of 2025. Retrieved from https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/summer/2025/scotland-dry-summer
[4] Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (2025). Update on fire at Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh. Retrieved from https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/news/update-on-fire-at-arthurs-seat-edinburgh
- The ongoing investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has not yet announced any specific findings on the cause of the wildfire at Arthur's Seat, but fire chiefs suspect that human activity may have played a role.
- Climate change warnings issued by the SFRS in 2025 highlighted the increasingly dangerous fire conditions resulting from the record-breaking dry summer in the UK, with the water shortage crisis in Scotland being one of its consequences.
- With the complicated environmental-science behind climate change and the unusual dry weather this year, the world watches as the firefighters at Arthur's Seat continue their efforts to fully extinguish the fire, demonstrated by the deployment of 4 fire emergency vehicles and an expert crew by the SFRS.
