Wildfires Scotland: These are the areas where an 'extreme' wildfire alert has been issued for this week

Scotland’s fire service has issued major alerts for wildfire risk across the country this week.

An “extreme risk” warning is in place for all low-lying areas in Scotland on Friday. It comes as a “very high” danger assessment has been released for low-lying areas, which includes central and south-west Scotland for Thursday and for the central Highlands on Friday.

The new warnings come after a previous alert - the first of the year - was issued earlier this month for the Highlands, Grampian, Fife and the east coast stretching down to the Borders.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is warning of “very high” and “extreme” wildfire risk for parts of Scotland this week. | John Devlin

Between March and May is when wildfires tend to be most frequent in Scotland because of the drier weather and increase in human activity in the countryside, firefighters have said.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said at this time of year, in early spring, even when the weather is still bitterly cold in some areas, there is typically a large volume of dead, bone-dry vegetation across vast areas of the countryside. This vegetation can become fuel for any fire, the SFRS said.

Alongside the Scottish Wildlife Forum, the SFRS said one careless spark could lead to fires easily taking off and burning with high intensity. The service said wildfires were mostly started by “thoughtless or accidental behaviours”.

These behaviours include careless disposal of cigarettes, unattended BBQs and open fires or campfires, fires not extinguished properly or sunlight magnified by glass bottles.

The flames have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land and wildlife; and threaten the welfare of nearby communities.

Group Commander Murray Dalgleish, a wildfire tactical advisor to SFRS, said: "We are asking the public to exercise extreme caution and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame.

"Many rural and remote communities are hugely impacted by wildfires, which can cause significant damage. Livestock, farmland, wildlife, protected woodland and sites of special scientific interest can all be devastated by these fires, as can the lives of people living and working in rural communities.

"These fires can also have a hugely negative impact on the environment and the release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

"Human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting, so it is crucial that people act safely and responsibly in rural environments and always follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code."

Last year, the number of wildfires were about a third of what they have been annually over the past decade.

SFRS said this was due to the very wet spring, which some farmers described as “the worst in living memory” for harvesting and lambing.

A total of 48 wildfires happened up until August in 2024, according to SFRS data, which compared to 145 recorded in 2023, 146 in 2022 and 143 in 2021.