Activist camp fire claims a life

A man is reported to have died while a woman is being treated in hospital following a blaze at a Midlothian campsite, which had been set up by environmental protesters.

Fire crews were alerted to a fire incident at the site in Bilston Glen during the early hours of Monday morning. Due to the location of the campsite, firefighters had to reach the scene on foot.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service had to alert the police once the body of the man in his 20s was found. The woman was taken to Livingston for treatment, but her condition is not known at present.

A Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said:

“The firefighters had to go on foot in to the area and they discovered the body of a man who had been badly burnt. Fire investigation were there last night and went back on Monday morning.”

The environmental activists’ camp has been in operation since 2002 in protest to road development in the area and to stop a proposed bypass road being constructed through the woodland.

A joint investigation between the police and the fire service is currently underway into how the fire was started.