Fire service deals with hundreds of calls during last night’s storm

More than 1,000 emergency calls were received last night by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service due to the severe storm.
Flooding at Cadgers Brae Brewer's Fayre in Falkirk after last night's thunderstorm. Photo: Scott LoudenFlooding at Cadgers Brae Brewer's Fayre in Falkirk after last night's thunderstorm. Photo: Scott Louden
Flooding at Cadgers Brae Brewer's Fayre in Falkirk after last night's thunderstorm. Photo: Scott Louden

Crews were mobilised to a number of flooding incidents caused by heavy rain, and fires believed to have been caused by the weather across Scotland, with the east and north of the country particularly affected.

Between 10pm on Tuesday, August 11, and 8am on Wednesday, August 12, the service’s Operations Control room in Edinburgh received more than 500 999 calls – almost 400 of which were related to flooding, while Dundee received 300 calls and Johnstone more than 200.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This included calls to a significant landslide at a caravan park in Pettycur, Fife, affecting 450 caravans. Crews assisted in the rescue of 27 people and also the relocation of 218 people from the site.

A further 14 people were rescued by firefighters following significant flooding on the M8 motorway, where a number of cars were submerged between junctions 5 and 6.

Six fire appliances and more than 20 firefighters were mobilised to a fire within a kitchen showroom in Falkirk.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms which is currently in place for parts of the country until tomorrow (Thursday, August 13).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ross Haggart is the Deputy Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

He said: “This has been an extremely challenging night where we received an incredibly high number of calls, making this one of the busiest nights the service has seen this year so far.

“We have particularly seen high numbers of flooding calls from the Lothian, Falkirk and Fife areas which were badly affected by serious rainfall – resulting in a significant localised response from the national service.

“Crews also attended a number of other serious incidents including road traffic collisions and fires which may have been caused by the weather.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“My thanks must go to our crews and Operations Control for their outstanding work overnight in very challenging conditions, and to our partners for their continued assistance.”

DCO Haggart added: “This was an exceptional weather event and the number of severe weather incidents are increasing and as a service we must be prepared to respond to protect communities.

“We will continue to respond to incidents across Scotland, however we would urge people to be aware of the forecast where they are, and be aware of the risks.

“Do not under any circumstances attempt to drive through flooded areas as you may become trapped, and take steps to protect yourself and your property from floodwater where necessary.”

For more safety advice on flooding and severe weather visit here.

For the latest forecast where you are visit here.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.