Fire crew battle wildfire near Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat as smoke visible for miles around

Firefighters are dealing with a blaze in Holyrood Park after receiving over 180 emergency calls from residents.

A view of the fire close to the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel in Holyrood Park | Jane Barlow/PA Wire

A spokesperson said fire crews were called to reports of the “grass on fire” near the St Anthony's Chapel ruins and Arthur’s Seat at 6.18pm.

The fire service have dispatched three appliances to the scene | Jane Barlow/PA Wire

They said one fire appliance is at the scene and two more have been dispatched.

A view of smoke rising as residents enjoy the bank holiday sunshine | Jane Barlow/PA Wire

The fire service have asked the public to cease contacting them regarding the incident as they have already received more than 180 calls since the blaze broke out.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are currently in attendance at an incident on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh.

“Operations Control has mobilised three appliances to the scene. People are being asked to avoid the area as crews work to extinguish a large grass fire.

“There is no further need to alert our Operations Control to this incident as we have already received a large volume of calls.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are in attendance at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh following reports of a fire on the hill on Monday, 25 May, 2026.

“The park is closed to vehicles and we ask the public to avoid the area while emergency services deal with this matter.”