Twice the size of Elgin, more than 2,000 football pitches: Just how big is the Cannich wildfire?

Six square miles of land has been destroyed in the Highland wildfire.

By Chris Cromar

June 2 2023, 7:46 pm

The fire raged for days, with local services implementing muirburn to help curtail the fire from spreading further. Image: Balintore Fire Station.

The ferocity of the Cannich wildfire that has ripped through the Highlands has caused massive destruction, but just how big is it?

Since the fire started earlier this week, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has estimated that about six square miles of land has been destroyed, the equivalent of 2,182 football pitches.

Previously, it was though that the fire covered an area of 30 square miles – which would have made it the largest ever in the UK – however, that number has since been revised.

A graphic of how big the fire is. — The scale of how big the fire is. Image: Christopher Donnan/DC Thomson.

Thankfully most of the fire has been put out, although two fire appliances remain at the scene for a fifth day.

It is unclear how it started, with the SFRS still investigating the causes, however, Forestry and Land Scotland believe it may have been caused by wild camping in the area.

A fire in a forest. — The fire has destroyed six square miles. Image: Simon McLaughlin/RSPB Scotland.

In comparison with the size of local places, the fire is nearly double the size of Moray’s biggest town Elgin, which measures 3.6 square miles.

It is also more than half the size of Highland capital Inverness, which comes in at 10.27 square miles, with it around the same size of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, which is 6.61.

Bigger than Heathrow Airport

Outside of the north and north-east, it is bigger than London’s Heathrow Airport, which is one of the world’s busiest.

The airport, which has two runways and four terminals, comes in at 4.73 square miles.

The fire is also bigger than the 2.5 square miles of Gibraltar – the British overseas territory that is located on the Iberian peninsula – despite being home to over 33,600 people.