A new report has warned that Scotland is "dangerously exposed" to major wildfires because the country relies too heavily on informal goodwill and improvised responses rather than a properly planned emergency system. The warning follows a huge wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park in July, which was tackled with the help of more than 40 businesses and organisations before crews were eventually stood down after almost five weeks. The report matters because it suggests current arrangements could leave the public at greater risk when future fires break out, given the reliance on ad hoc private-sector support rather than guaranteed, coordinated resources.

The report, produced by Scottish Land & Estates, found that the Abernethy National Nature Reserve fire scorched 12 square miles, generated 300 days of volunteer effort and drew on £6.4 million worth of private equipment such as bulldozers and all-terrain vehicles. Its author, Ross Ewing, said the blaze exposed a need for a planned, exercised wildfire resilience system rather than last-minute improvisation, and called for a dedicated helicopter framework, standard mobilisation processes and joint training exercises. Politicians including Tory MSP Tim Eagle, Lib Dem spokesman Andrew Baxter and Labour's Pauline McNeill criticised the nine-day delay before the Scottish Government held its first emergency meeting, with Baxter calling for a cross-party summit to prevent a repeat.