Residents take refuge at community hub with livestock after Galloway wildfire forces some to flee homes

Firefighters continue to tackle flames of an ongoing wildfire that started last week.

Residents evacuated from their homes, livestock piled into a car to be taken to safety and blow up beds lining a local community centre.

This has been the story of residents living in and around Glentrool in Dumfries and Galloway, the village at the heart of a vicious wildfire that has ripped through surrounding hillside since Thursday.

The wildfire burning behind the village of Glen Trool in Dumfries and Galloway | Steph Harrison

Witnesses have reported seeing flames reaching up to three metres high in some areas.

A group of campers had to be rescued from the Galloway Forest Park area early on Saturday morning before their pitch was engulfed by flames.

Residents living up to ten miles away from where the fire is burning most intensely have spoken about waking up to ash on their cars for the last four days.

The wildfire on the hillside next to the village of Glen Trool which forced some residents in the Loch Trool valley to flee their homes over the weekend | Steph Harrison

In Glentrool itself, there is a hive of activity at the local community centre from where emergency services come and go.

The hub, known as the Glentrool Hive, has also become a place of refuge for residents living on the banks of Loch Trool who had to be evacuated from their homes at the peak of the wildfire, which crews have said is now under control.

The Glentrool Hive, where volunteers have been providing a space for residents evacuated from their homes due to the wildfire, and emergency services assisting with the incident | Glentrool Hive

Billie Jones, project manager for the centre, which is run by the Glentrool and Bargrennan Community Trust, said the flames came dangerously close to some of the houses, forcing residents to flee to safety at about 2am on Saturday.

With some 86 residents in Glentrool, blow up beds and blankets were donated to help accommodate evacuees at the centre.

Ms Jones said one resident who was worried it could be days before returning home turned up with their livestock in the boot of the car.

“One of the residents had quite a few turkeys and chickens with them when they came down,” she said.

“They were worried about them being left on the hill with the fire going on.

“It meant we just had to house them in a shed on site.”

Despite the emergency incident, Ms Jones said there is “an air of calm” within the community as they continue to wait out the wildfire.

A hub for emergency services has been set up in the centre, and Ms Jones said volunteers from Glentrool are helping keep it open 24-hours, providing food and services for those assisting with the wildfire.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) 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 battling the flames since, which have spread further north to the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire.

SFRS said progress has been made, and the fire is under control.

Helicopters were deployed to “water-bomb” the fire over the weekend. A fire engine remained at the scene overnight on Sunday, while another was on its way to the scene at 6.30am on Monday.

Rising temperatures across the UK earlier this week led to wildfire warnings being put in place, with the Scottish fire and rescue service saying there was a “very high to extreme risk” of fires spreading because of warm, dry conditions.

The service has warned the public to avoid outdoor fires and barbecues, and to dispose of cigarettes and glass safely.