UK Government offers military support to battle Cairngorms wildfire

The UK Government has offered military support to tackle the Cairngorms wildfire following a request by Scotland’s Justice Secretary.

Douglas Alexander, the Scottish Secretary, told Neil Gray that specialist resources will be made available upon request, including Chinook helicopters for logistical and heavy-lift capacity and support from UK standby battalions.

However, the First Minister said the UK Government’s offer was unnecessary.

John Swinney said the Scottish Government had requested aerial support to drop water on the fire but was told that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not have such equipment.

Highlands & Islands

More than 70 firefighters still battling Cairngorms wildfire eleven days on

75 firefighters remained on the ground on Saturday evening battling the wildfire which broke out on July 15.

Instead, the UK Government has offered alternative support.

On Sunday afternoon, firefighters said an “intensive operation” is still under way but better weather conditions, including heavy rain and low winds, have slowed the fire and limited its spread.

More than 75 firefighters remain at the scene, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said.

Residents of Nethy Bridge who were evacuated on Friday night have been told they can return home.

Police Scotland said on Saturday night it was no longer treating the fire as a major incident.

Following a request for military support on Saturday, the Scottish Secretary confirmed some help could be made available.

He said: “The last 12 days have been extremely challenging for the teams on the ground tackling the wildfire and for those who live and have livelihoods in the area. Scottish Fire and Rescue services and the local community have committed exceptional efforts to trying to get the fire under control and they deserve a wealth of praise and thanks.

“Since receiving the request for assistance from the Scottish Government, I have worked at speed with the Defence Secretary to establish the resources we can deploy to support the efforts in the Cairngorms.”

The First Minister said: “The Scottish Government requested military assistance, in the form of aerial support to drop water on the fire, from the Ministry of Defence to supplement existing aerial resources that are in place.

“We have received a formal response advising that the UK Government are not in a position to agree to this request, given that the Ministry of Defence does not possess aerial firefighting assets stationed within the UK.

“The offer of other resources is welcome but SFRS has confirmed they have the other resources they need.

“Ministers will continue to be updated on the fire, and resources and services will remain until the fire is out.

“As I stated earlier, this wildfire is being treated with the utmost seriousness and necessary resources will be in place until the last flames are out.”

Earlier on Sunday, Scotland’s Justice Secretary said he did not expect to receive military support, saying it was his understanding that the UK military “does not have the capability” that is required for the fire.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the armed forces are “always ready” to respond to emergencies.

He said: “My thoughts are with those who have been affected by the terrible wildfires in the Cairngorms and I pay tribute to the brave emergency services personnel who have been working tirelessly to tackle the blaze.

“Our armed forces are always ready and able to respond to serious situations and Chinook helicopters can be available to provide heavy-lifting capacity, which may be needed given the landscape, and we have UK standby battalion personnel ready to deploy to provide additional numbers on the ground to help bring the wildfire under control.

“The Ministry of Defence is ready to support in any way we can and we are working closely with teams on the ground.”

The SFRS still has more than 75 firefighters, nine fire appliances and additional specialist resources on scene, supported by three helicopters conducting water-bombing operations.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour said: “I want to reassure everyone affected by this prolonged incident that we are still fully committed with the appropriate resourcing in place as we work to protect the community.

“This is still very much a large, multi-agency response with partners, volunteers and the community pulling together to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.

“We intend to take advantage of the positive weather conditions to aggressively fight this fire in key areas, particularly in the north end of the incident ground to make an impact while the conditions allow.

“However, we are not complacent. SFRS staff and partners remain vigilant across all areas of the incident ground to monitor for any flare up.”

More than 500 firefighters and staff from partners and community volunteers have been actively involved in or supported the response since the incident began on July 15.

Mr Barbour added: “This remains a dynamic and changing incident and we expect to be in attendance with significant resources into next week.”