A BONFIRE in Clydebank is one of several incidents fire crews had to attend due to the blaze getting out of control.

And now, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is reminding the public not to light bonfires to dispose of items such as garden or household waste.

The warning comes after firefighters tackled a number of incidents across Scotland in which outdoor blazes spread.

During April, crews were called to 17 fires involving external structures – such as sheds, patios, and items of garden furniture. This is more than double than during the same time period in the last two years (eight in April 2019 and seven in April 2018).

One of the recent incidents was in Clydebank, on April 14, when a bonfire spread to a garden shed.

Meanwhile, in nearby Erskine, a fire spread to a shed, and then to the roof space of detached house on April 25.

Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens, of SFRS,Director of Service Delivery, said: “With bin uplift services in many areas still limited during the coronavirus pandemic, people might be tempted to burn refuse or other materials.

“We cannot stress this enough – lighting bonfires can be dangerous, and we would strongly discourage anyone from attempting to dispose of waste, or other items, in this way. This can often be very unsafe in terms of the risk of fire spread – to your own home and possessions, as well as that of neighbours.

“What can initially seem like a small, controlled burn can very quickly spread and lead to a number of our firefighters and resources being mobilised.

“While we continue to maintain a high resilience across Scotland, we would seek to avoid any unnecessary demand on our service during this unprecedented time.”