Part of wildfire cordon around village to be lifted on Friday morning

Part of the wildfire cordon around a village in the Cairngorms is set to be lifted at 8am on Friday, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said.

Road and access restrictions have been in place around the Glenmore area as firefighters tackled the wildfire in Cairngorms National Park since it began near the Ryvoan Bothy, close to Aviemore, at around midday on July 15.

After three weeks of disruption, the SFRS said the C7 Ski Road, known as the Glenmore corridor, will fully reopen.

However, some areas directly impacted by the fire will continue to be restricted for safety, and some roads near Abernethy Forest – including the Forest Lodge access road, Lettoch Road and Dorback – will remain closed to allow operations to continue on the ground.

“I am really glad that the Glenmore corridor will reopen tomorrow,” Grant Moir, chief executive at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said.

He added: “It is such great news for local businesses, communities and everyone looking forward to spending time in this special part of the national park.”

Mr Moir said: “This milestone has only been possible thanks to the huge effort of businesses, volunteers and partner organisations who have worked tirelessly to make the area safe and prepare for reopening.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors to Glenmore and encourage everyone to support local businesses as they continue on the road to recovery.”

So far more than 500 firefighters have been deployed to fight the blaze, which has devastated an estimated 25 square kilometres of land since it started.

On Thursday night around 20 firefighters continued to work in the area with specialist resources including a high-volume pump.

The SFRS said helicopter support is unlikely to be required beyond Friday, but firefighting operations will continue to focus efforts in the remote area around Abernethy Forest, where there are deep-seated peat fires.

“As visitors begin to make a welcome return to Glenmore to enjoy the area and contribute to local businesses’ recovery, we are advising everyone that there continue to be public safety risks, from remaining hotspots and from potentially hazardous, fire-damaged trees and unstable ground,” Paul Hibberd, regional visitor services manager for Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), said.

“Whilst most of Glenmore Forest Park will be fully open, we still have a lot of work to do to make our forest safe for visitors, and some FLS-managed areas of forest will continue to be out of bounds for some time.”

These include the Allt Ban and Allt Mor car parks, and the Ryvoan Trail and the Lodge Trail, which will remain shut until FLS can properly assess damage and carry out remediation work to make the area safe.

There will also be no access to the Green Lochan.

Mr Hibberd added: “For your own safety and for the safety of FLS staff, contractors and remaining emergency services workers, please take heed of all signage and do not go into or fly drones in these areas.”

The map of the path closures can be found on the Park Authority website at: cairngorms.co.uk/news/glenmore-corridor-to-reopen