Cardowan Moss bush fires spark 'risk to life' warning over bank holiday weekend

Fire crews battled wild blazes at Cardowan Moss last week, thought to be caused by youths hanging around at the East End site.

One outraged parkgoer said winds had spread the fires “dangerously quickly” and blamed the blaze on “bored teenagers” as she shared a startling video of flames sweeping across the raised bog.

Bush fires rage across Cardowan Moss last month

Cardowan Moss sits close to homes in Craigend and there are fears a fire left out of control could threaten the lives of nearby residents.

North East Glasgow councillor Ruairi Kelly described the area as a “fantastic asset to have on our doorstep” as he warned visitors to take care of the site.

The SNP man added: “Anti-social behaviour or careless fires put people in danger, destroy wildlife habitat and damage one of the largest urban carbon sinks in the country.

Fire crews were called to two blazes in March

“I know that the local schools do so much work around this and would encourage people to report activity that is likely to cause these fires to the police so they can be dealt with before the damage is done.”

Paige Klinkman, area visitor services manager at Forestry and Land Scotland, warned of the dangers of not putting out cigarettes, barbecues and campfires properly.

She said: “Everyone should take extra care and not carry out any activity that might risk starting a wildfire.

“Smokers should properly extinguish cigarettes and dispose of them safely, litter should be disposed of properly and barbecues or campfires should only be lit where it is safe to do so.”

Dead vegetation and plant material which has accumulated over the autumn and winter and lies under new growth is dried out by dry and windy weather, making the conditions ripe for wildfires, she added.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SRFS) received reports of two fires on March 18 and 23, which were extinguished.

Roddie Keith warned people enjoying the nice weather this weekend to take care with cigarette butts and barbecues

Roddie Keith, the SFRS’s local senior officer for Glasgow said on Wednesday that the service had been called to more than 150 grass fires across the country in the past 10 days.

He added: “A great many people will be enjoying the outdoors in the good weather this weekend and I’m urging everyone to make sure that they don’t increase the chance of wildfire by being aware of the risks.

“Wild and grass fires can start by the careless disposal of cigarettes and barbecues or campfires left unattended.

“They then have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land, endanger wildlife and threaten the welfare of nearby communities.

“Human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting, so I would ask people to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and keep themselves and their communities safe this Easter.”