'It was a proper inferno' - Dramatic rescue mission of campers caught up in Galloway wildfire

The campers were unaware of the large wildfire spreading ahead of them as they set up camp

Two fathers and their teenage sons were airlifted to safety in a dramatic rescue mission after being caught up in the latest wildfires to sweep across the south of Scotland.

Bruce Marbrow and his son Jack, 13, set off on a camping trip with friend Scott Rayner and his son Frankie, also 13, to Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries and Galloway on Friday.

The group, from east Yorkshire, made it to Loch Valley to pitch their tents, with a view to walking to Loch Dee the next day.

The fathers and sons rescued after being caught out by the ongoing wildfires raging across parts of the south of Scotland | Supplied

Mr Marbrow said that evening, the campers could see some smoke in the distance from where they were camped. But, being regulars in the Yorkshire moors, they thought it was coming from controlled burning of heather on the distant hillside - a practice sometimes used to manage grouse moors or create firebreaks as a wildfire management tool.

A photo taken by the campers who were airlifted to safety in a dramatic rescue mission after wildfire flames ripped through the area where they were camping | Supplied

Little did they know the flames were from a wildfire that broke out just hours before.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it was alerted to a fire spreading across a large area of grass to the north of Loch Dee in Galloway Forest Park at about 4pm on Thursday.

Crews have been on the ground since, battling the flames which have also spread to an area a few miles to the north in the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire.

Mr Marbrow said the group had not seen any information about the current wildfire when setting off on their camping trip.

It was not until midnight on Friday when the campers saw flames getting closer to where they had set up their tents.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Marbrow said: “By midnight, the fire was really raging down the side of the hill where we were.

“At about 1am, we thought ‘what do we do? Do we try and walk off the hill?’ But then with it being dark, we were worried one of us might break a leg or something else would happen, so we decided to wait it out and stay up until daybreak to get ourselves back down the hill.

“The fire was about 20 metres away from where we were camped, but luckily there was a burn in between us and the fire.

“Some of the flames were quite small, but some bits were two or three metres high.

“It was a proper inferno on the side of the hill.

“Never in a million years did we think the smoke we had seen in the distance would be a wildfire like this.”

At about 3am, the four campers heard a helicopter fly overhead.

“Being typical British, we didn’t want to cause a scene,” Mr Marbrow added.

“But the helicopter, which we thought could see us at the time, actually hadn’t seen us and went off.

“At about 4am it came back and it was clear they saw us.

“A few lads jumped off and said we needed to get on board quick as they just had minutes of fuel left. They had been looking for us.

“They were amazingly calm. But it was a case of ‘grab your car keys, phones, and run.’ We had to leave all our kit.”

The group were rescued by HM Coastguard Prestwick Search and Rescue | Supplied

Emergency services began the search for the four adventurers after spotting Mr Marbrow’s car parked at a car park in the area on the Friday evening. Police made contact with Mr Marbrow’s wife, Fernanda, who was back at their home in east Yorkshire to clarify where the fathers and sons had headed off to.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Mrs Marbrow said: “There was no mobile signal in the area, so all I could do from home was point the police in the direction of the general area ‘pin’ I’d made Bruce send me before they set off.

“What followed was four hours of searching, more worry than I think I’ve ever felt and a dramatic rescue by helicopter.

“As they were airlifted to safety it became clear that the area around where their camp was completely engulfed by fire.

“Heartfelt thanks to Dumfries and Galloway Police, HM Coastguard Prestwick Search and Rescue and everyone else involved. They have lost all of their gear and they’re exhausted and shell shocked but they’re home and they’re safe.”

A rescue mission Frankie and Jack will probably never forget | Supplied

A spokesperson from HM Coastguard confirmed it was involved in a rescue mission to locate campers as part of its response to a large wildfire in Galloway and take them to Prestwick Airport, where they were transferred into the care of police.

The organisation said another two people had also been located by the helicopter and transferred into the care of Police Scotland.

Residents living in and around Galloway Forest Park have spoken about waking up to ash all over cars since firefighters began tackling the flames about four days ago.

Matt Cross, a resident who lives just outside Galloway Forest Park, said the smoke can be seen from villages and hamlets several miles away.

“It’s very smoky,” he said.

“It smells like there’s a giant bonfire going on.

“There’s a lot of ash all over the cars here, and we’re about ten miles away from where the fire is happening.”

He said the flames are likely to be going for a few more days, with one neighbour telling him she plans to leave the area for a few days because of the smoke.

The blaze comes after an extended stretch of dry, warm weather across Scotland which is predicted to last until at least the end of this week, with the fire service issuing nation-wide warnings about wildfires.

Helicopters have been drafted in to “water-bomb” the areas where the fire is raging most intensely.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Emergency services and partners are continuing to deal with a wildfire in Galloway which is also affecting the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire.

“People are reminded to avoid the area.

“Residents living nearby are advised to keep windows and doors closed.For more information regarding wildfires, please refer to SFRS.”