CRAMOND Island, a popular tourist destination in the north-west of the capital, was hit by a large grass fire on Wednesday, as a fire crew was called.

The fire, on the north end of the island, had mostly petered out by the time a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crew was able to respond at around 1pm on Wednesday, although the ground was still smouldering in places and was hot to the touch.

The fire appliance had to wait on the mainland, while the crew made their way to the island via the  narrow causeway.   

The officers investigated the remnants of the blaze and extinguished any embers using buckets and shovels.

The fire burned through a large patch of grass on the northern end of the island © Yara Pstrong
The fire burned through a large patch of grass on the northern end of the island © Yara Pstrong

The fire appears to have burned through a large area of gorse on the island, but reportedly did not present a threat to onlookers.

An SFRS spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 1.05pm on Wednesday, 22 July, to reports of a fire in the open on Cramond Island, Edinburgh.

“Operations Control mobilised one appliance to the scene to extinguish a grass fire.

“There were no casualties and firefighters left the scene at 3.32pm.”

Fire crews had to leave their appliance on the mainland while their crew made their way down the Causeway with shovels and buckets © Yara Pstrong
Fire crews had to leave their appliance on the mainland while their crew made their way down the Causeway with shovels and buckets © Yara Pstrong

One eyewitness said that it was not immediately obvious from the mainland that a fire was in progress, as the northern edge is obscured from view by a steep bank.

She added that campers who had lit fires on the island overnight were seen leaving the island just after midday, though no link to the blaze has been confirmed.

The fire had mostly petered out by the time fire crews arrived © Yara Pstrong
The fire had mostly petered out by the time fire crews arrived © Yara Pstrong

The cause of the blaze is yet to be established, but it follows a series of powerful wildfires around Scotland, including a fire in the Cairngorms which burned through 10 square kilometres of land, and the second fire in less than three months at Arthur’s Seat.

A “very high risk” wildfire warning for the central Highlands, southern and eastern Scotland was extended to Friday after the blazes, with warm weather forecast to continue.

The location is often used in film and was employed to notable effect in the 2017 epic, Churchill starring Scottish actor, Brian Cox. 

© Yara Pstrong
Cramond Island can only be accessed via a thin walkway © Yara Pstrong
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