Wilful fire raising incident near Gordonstoun is attended by the school's fire service on the day of Queen's funeral
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POLICE have declared that a fire in Moray that burned and smouldered for almost 12 hours was "wilful".
Around 200 hay bales were reportedly set on fire near the Crosslots to Hopeman road in the early hours of Monday, September 19.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "At around 2.10am on Monday, September 19, police were made aware of bales on fire near the B9012 road at Crosslots to Hopeman Road, Duffus, Elgin.
"SFRS attended and the fire was extinguished. Police are treating the incident as wilful."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson added: "We were alerted at 1.56am on Monday, September 19, to reports of a fire in the open on the B9012 near Elgin to Duffus Road.
"Operations Control mobilised two appliances and a water carrier to the scene and firefighters extinguished a large haybale fire.”
"There were no reported casualties and the last crew left the scene at 3.40pm after ensuring the area was made safe."
Nearby, pupils at Gordonstoun – where three of the Queen's children went to school – were preparing to mark Her Majesty's funeral.
Given the school's tight links to Queen Elizabeth II, it was set to be a special day for many.
For 16-year-old Fatima Uqaili, it turned out to be one she'll never forget for more reason than one.
It has only been a matter of weeks since the Gordonstoun pupil, a member of the school's fire service, first got her pager, and she was woken up just after 5am on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral to attend the blaze.
Fatima saw it as a fitting challenge. She said: "This was my first call out and I was quite lucky to get it so early into the year as some people wait a year.
"It's even more special to make it the day of the Queen's funeral.
"I wasn't dreading it at all as every week we meet for three hours and go through training and drills. As soon we got there we were prepare.
"As we saw the fire, we knew exactly what to do. We configured a plan and it was quite smooth as we got into the grounds.
"The fire was really large. My crew did about 70 per cent and then swapped crews over."
