A massive blaze has broken out at one of Edinburgh’s most beloved beauty spots. Smoke was visible from as far afield as Fife on Monday evening after the fire ignited on Arthur’s Seat.

Photographs of the inferno show fierce orange flames engulfing the gorse on the hillside of the Scottish capital’s iconic landmark, as walkers pause their hike to witness the devastation. A firefighter can be seen ascending the hill towards the blaze.

One Edinburgh resident happened to be across in Fife when they caught sight of thick black smoke billowing from the area.

They said: “My friend and I were climbing in Fife when we noticed a plume of smoke coming from Holyrood park.

“We’re miles away but you can see it clear as day. There’s a lot of smoke rising from the area.

“I hope it’s not as bad as the fire from last year and that everyone is safe.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “We are currently in attendance at an incident on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.

“Operations Control has mobilised three appliances to the scene. People are being asked to avoid the area as crews work to extinguish a large grass fire.

“There is no further need to alert our Operations Control to this incident as we have already received a large volume of calls.”