Fire chiefs have issued a 'very high' wildfire warning in Scotland as temperatures are set to surpass the heatwave threshold this week.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service ( SFRS ) issued an alert for the East and South of the nation starting today. It will stay in place for the next five days, ending on Monday August 15.
Scots have been urged to prepare for fires that could threaten homes while it has also been advised to create a safety zone in the event of a wild blaze. Homeowners and landowners should consider hazards by removing old debris - including piles of wood, old cars and felled trees - from safety zones.
Fire chiefs say work is ongoing to deliver a new strategy for developing and enhancing SFRS' wildfire capability. It will take into account the increased risk of the blazes and climate change in Scotland.
Firefighters will undergo specialised training in wildfire management, operational procedures and will learn about advances in technology that have been made in PPE and equipment.
It comes as temperatures are forecasted to reach up to 27 degrees with a 10-day long scorcher hitting the whole of the UK by Friday.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said temperatures were already nine to ten degrees above average for August, which is normally 21.5C in southern England and 17C in Scotland.
He said: “There is a likely chance we will be seeing heatwave areas across a number of areas. Temperatures are definitely well above our average. Science has pointed us towards these hot periods becoming more frequent with climate change. We’ve already seen this in July and now we have a notable one in August as well.
“This one would be seen as quite the event of the year, if we’d not already seen temperatures like we did in July. The second half of this week will see heatwaves fairly widely across southern England and potential for eastern areas too. Scotland might even make heatwave threshold of 25C.”
More information on the SFRS' wildfire warning in Scotland can be found here.
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