Evacuations continue after Cairngorms wildfire rages overnight in major incident

Key Points

Cairngorms wildfire which started ten days ago continues to rage
Major incident declared by Police Scotland and more residents evacauted
Nine appliances remain at scene which fire crews following the fire path
More than 500 firefighters involved since blaze broke out
Swinney calls situation ‘very serious’ as resilence meeting chaired

Evacuations are continuing after a fire that has ravaged the Cairgorms for ten days raged again overnight with a major incident declared.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews from nine fire appliances remain at the scene of the ongoing wildfire within the Cairngorms National Park.

The blaze, which first broke out near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge on July 15, has begun spreading after ten days of firefighting efforts.

The wildfire on Thursday night as Police Scotland declares major incident STV News

A sudden shift in weather conditions bringing stronger winds has caused unpredictable flare-ups, pushing the fire towards properties and woodland in Strathnethy, home to around 600 residents.

Locals in and around Nethy Bridge were evacuated from their homes, with emergency services directing evacuees to a respite centre set up at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel.

A major incident was declared by Police Scotland and First Minister John Swinney has called the situation “very serious”.

Swinney confirmed a resilience meeting was held on Saturday morning.

He said: “This continues to be a very serious situation. Residents, businesses and people staying in the affected areas will understandably be very worried. My thoughts are with them and I thank them for their understanding.

“With the fire changing to be in the direction of Nethy Bridge yesterday afternoon, a precautionary evacuation was put in place and a fire break was successfully established overnight to protect the village. Police officers visited all properties in Nethy Bridge and officers are in the village today to support residents.

“The wind has changed direction overnight, which means the track of the fire has altered once again and the threat to Nethy Bridge has reduced, for the moment at least. Ground and helicopter resources are being focused on the current path of the fire and new fire breaks constructed.

“This demonstrates how these situations can change very quickly and dramatically, reflecting the challenges being faced by SFRS and the other responders tackling this wildfire. It does not mean however that anyone should return to that area until they been given the go-ahead to do so. Further decisions will be taken later today by the Local Resilience Partnership and the Scottish Government Resilience Group will also reconvene.

“I remain extremely grateful to the emergency services and all those involved who are working tirelessly to control this fire and support local residents. I reiterate the message that people in the area must follow the advice of emergency services and the Cairngorms National Park – it is essential people avoid the affected areas.”

More residents evacuated as fire service call for help

Overnight, fire crews confirmed that, as a precaution, residents in the small area of properties north-west of Dorback Lodge (Lain Thatchan) were also evacuated.

The fire service are calling for help from operators who can provide suitable plant machinery to support the ongoing multi-agency response are asked to report to the Village Hall in Nethy Bridge.

Residents in Tomintoul are advised to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution due to smoke from the wildfire.

An SFRS statement read: “Please continue to avoid the affected areas while firefighting operations remain ongoing. The area remains unsafe due to active firefighting operations, rapidly changing fire behaviour and helicopter activity.

“Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as emergency services and partner agencies respond to this incident.”

Since the fire began, more than 500 firefighters have been deployed alongside specialist wildfire units, all-terrain vehicles, local estate workers, and gamekeepers. Helicopter water-bombing operations remain central to the response, as vast swathes of the fire ground remain completely inaccessible by foot or vehicle.

At its peak, the fire engulfed roughly six square kilometres of heather and woodland.

Deputy assistant chief officer Kenny Barbour said: “Our firefighters, specialist resources and partners have worked tirelessly over the past nine days to respond to this challenging and complex wildfire incident.

Road closures around Nethy Bridge STV News

“The combination of prolonged dry conditions, strengthening winds and challenging terrain has created an extremely complex operational environment.

“Large areas of the fire ground are inaccessible by vehicle or on foot, making helicopter water-bombing operations and specialist wildfire tactics essential to our response.”

The impact of the fire is also being felt across a large portion of eastern Scotland. A thick smoke plume caused by changing wind directions has drifted nearly 60 miles east, deteriorating air quality and reducing visibility as far away as Aberdeen.

Closed and restricted areas include:

Paths around Glenmore, Loch Morlich and Badaguish.

Low-level routes including the Old Logging Way and routes providing access to Cairngorm Mountain, the Northern Corries, Meall A’ Bhuachaille, the Green Loch (Lochan Uaine), Strath Nethy or Bynack More.
Paths within Abernethy Forest to the south of Forest Lodge towards Ryvoan Bothy also remain closed.