Latest news with #DavaMoor
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Country diary: The utter shock of seeing wildfire devastation up close
The forest's understorey is wonderful just now, dotted with cow-wheat and northern bedstraw, speedwells and tormentil. It's also the time of year to search for my favourite – the twinflower, with its tiny Y-shaped stems that hold two tiny flowers of the palest pink. In the UK, it's found only in such pinewoods, though there are great initiatives to expand their colonies through translocation. I'm late for my usual pilgrimage after going on holiday, but my first attempt to find them, at the end of June, was quickly thwarted. A change in the wind direction had brought acrid smoke from wildfires that were burning 20 miles or so to the north. The evening was so dark that it felt like there was an eclipse, before a shower of rain cleared the air. Once the fires were extinguished and the road across Dava Moor had reopened, we drove over to a favourite nursery and were stunned by the devastation. From the roadside to distant hilltops and far beyond, everything was charred black. We could see where the fire had jumped the road, where the flames had licked up the side of bigger trees, singeing and burning the branches and leaves, leaving the barest of crowns at the top; how the moorland, trees and bushes had been engulfed, leaves and needles burnt to a crisp. The hillsides – normally covered in yellow blooms of broom and gorse by now – were reduced to scorched, twisted branches. There were no skylarks soaring, no stonechats calling from the tops of whin bushes. Days later, the smell of burning lingered and puffs of smoke still drifted upwards. A smaller, closer fire in Abernethy Forest in 2023 made us realise how lucky we were for it to have been caught so early, but the extent of this one is truly shocking, described by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as potentially one of the biggest outdoor fires Scotland has ever had. The cause remains unknown, but we've been all too aware of how dry it has been this year and how the climate is changing. 'Extreme wildfire risk' warnings have been a constant presence for months. How fragile these ecosystems are; how careful and vigilant we must be. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Plane passenger's video captures vast spread of Scottish wildfires
Wildfires have been burning across Scotland 's Dava Moor and the Scottish Highlands for four consecutive days. Aerial footage taken by a plane passenger captured the intense fires, which the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) warns are becoming a danger to human life. The SGA is working "round-the-clock" to combat the fires, noting that firefighters are "stretched" and unable to respond to other incidents. Scottish first minister John Swinney has described the situation as "extremely serious" and urged people to follow all available advice. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Aerial footage shows scale of fire on Scotland's Dava Moor
Aerial footage shows raging wildfires across Scotland 's Dava Moor, which has seen intense blazes for four days in a row. A witness who spotted the inferno from a plane above recorded the burning moorlands on Monday (30 June). Fires were first reported on Saturday (28 June), and have since spread across the Scottish Highlands, with the The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA), who are working 'round-the-clock' to tackle the blaze, warning that the fires are 'becoming a danger to human life'. The SGA added that 'stretched' firefighters are currently unable to respond to other incidents. Scottish first minister John Swinney said the situation is 'extremely serious' and has urged people to follow all available advice.
