A national forestry agency has been left “very angry” after a fire broke out in a Highland Perthshire wooded area due to an overturned disposable barbecue.
Sunday’s fire at Loch Rannoch, near but not in the Blackwoods of Rannoch, was discovered before it had a chance to catch and was dealt with by council rangers who were assisted by two members of the public.
Several young men are reported to have arrived at the site by car and lit the barbecue that, initial impressions suggest, was later kicked over.
The incident took place on the shores of the loch opposite Kilvrecht campsite, which is land managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).
FLS contacted the police and the fire service attended the site to ensure the flames were extinguished.
Just this month the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) issued a ‘very high’ warning nationwide for an increased risk of wildfires due to the soaring heat.
A SFRS spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 12.52pm on Sunday, June 11 to reports of a large fire in the open at Loch Rannoch, Pitlochry.
“Operations Control mobilised one appliance to the scene, where firefighters were met by the remnants of a small fire caused by a disposable barbecue, which had been extinguished prior to our arrival.
“Crews helped dampen down the area before leaving the scene.”
In another incident of concern for the FLS, youths attempted to light an accelerant liquid in a bid, it is presumed, to start a fire at Tentsmuir, Fife.
Robin Lofthouse, FLS area visitor services manager in Tayside, said: “It’s unbelievable that in spite of all the issues that Scotland has had in the past three weeks with fire, there are still some people who would do this.
“And it is really disheartening to know that last week (June 4) we had an incidence of youths in Tentsmuir spreading and attempting to light some sort of accelerant in a bid, we presume, to start a bigger fire.
“The fire service, our staff and any number of other land managers are doing everything they can and then some to try and deal with fires and get the message about fire safety across to people.
“When we get things like this happening it just makes us all very, very angry.
“I would urge anyone with any knowledge of either incident to contact Police Scotland.”
The FLS harvesting and visitors services teams have increased the frequency of their visits to this area and the contractor on site has scheduled works to cover a 24-hour period of operation.
Bailie Mike Williamson, depute convenor of Perth and Kinross Council’s Environment, Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee, said: “It’s extremely disappointing that some visitors have so little respect for the beautiful countryside we have in Perth and Kinross that an incident like this could happen.
“If it had not been for our Rangers and two members of the public at Kilvrecht, this could have spread further and caused even greater damage.”
The Highland Perthshire councillor added: “On behalf of the council I’d like to extend my thanks to the two ladies who were on site before our rangers arrived and who were trying to put out the fire.
“I’d urge people to follow the Outdoor Access Code, which allows for responsible access to our countryside.
“We all have a duty to protect our environment and must remember the risks of fire are all too real.”
Police Scotland has been passed the registration numbers of two vehicles seen leaving the scene at Loch Rannoch.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of a fire set near Loch Rannoch and officers are liaising with local rangers.”
