• 

• News
• UK News
• Wildfires

Police Scotland has declared a major incident as fire crews continue to battle a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park

Police Scotland has declared a major incident as firefighters battle a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park.

The force said the decision followed a "significant change" in weather conditions, with strengthening winds making the fire more unpredictable and causing it to spread towards Nethy Bridge, a small village in the Strathspey area of the park.

All residents of Nethy Bridge are being evacuated as a precaution and directed to a respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort. Access roads into the village have been closed.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has deployed more than 500 firefighters since the wildfire was first reported on July 15. Crews have been supported by specialist wildfire appliances, all-terrain vehicles, helicopter water-bombing operations and partner agencies.

Superintendent Judy Hill, from Police Scotland, said: "The weather conditions experienced within the Cairngorms over the last 24 hours have added further complexities to this situation. With evidence suggesting the fire is spreading towards Nethy Bridge, the decision has been taken to declare a major incident and evacuate residents as a precaution."

She said additional police officers are being deployed to help people leave their homes and maintain cordons around restricted areas.

"We understand this is a very concerning time for residents, businesses and visitors to the Cairngorms region," Supt Hill said. "Please be assured that the multi-agency response remains fully committed to bringing this incident to a safe conclusion as quickly as possible."

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour, from the SFRS, said firefighters, specialist resources and partners have "worked tirelessly" over the past nine days to respond to this "challenging and complex wildfire".

He said: "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.

Mr Barbour also thanked Forestry and Land Scotland, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, landowners, estate gamekeepers and emergency service partners for their expertise and local knowledge, which he said had been "invaluable" in protecting communities and the natural environment.

He urged people to continue following the advice of Police Scotland and to stay away from the affected areas while firefighters tackle the wildfire.

The following areas remain closed or are subject to access restrictions:

• 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 and Bynack More.
• Paths within Abernethy Forest to the south of Forest Lodge towards Ryvoan Bothy.

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.