Police declare major incident and evacuate Nethy Bridge as Cairngorms wildfire enters 10th day

Fire emerges and spreads

The wildfire started on 15 July near Ryvoan Bothy in Cairngorms National Park. It has burned about six square kilometres of heather, woodland and ancient Caledonian pinewood, threatening rare species. More than 100 firefighters with 11 engines have been deployed.

Winds shift and Nethy Bridge evacuated

By 23 July, high winds caused major flare-ups, and by 24 July a weather change pushed the fire toward the village of Nethy Bridge, home to about 600 people. Police Scotland declared a major incident and evacuated all residents to the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel. Access roads were closed and extra officers maintained cordons.

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. Additional police resources are being deployed to assist in contacting those who need to leave their properties and to maintain cordons around restricted areas while our fire service colleagues continue to tackle the wildfire.

Firefighting response

Crews cut a 4km firebreak on the west side and a 1.9km break on the east, with drone surveillance and helicopter waterbombing. SFRS deputy assistant chief officer Michael Humphreys said an exclusion zone remained in place around the incident and urged the public to stay away.

Aviemore is very much open for business but we still have an exclusion zone in place around the actual operational incident.... We're continuing to make very good progress but it's still very much an ongoing incident.

The RSPB's Abernethy reserve also faced renewed threat after the wind shift. A spokesperson said the situation was serious and that staff were supporting the SFRS.

Unfortunately the fire threat has once again been growing at RSPB Abernethy since yesterday afternoon following a change in weather conditions. The situation is serious and staff, volunteers and partners are at this time focused on doing all they can to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who are co-ordinating the response.

Calls for military aid

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs urged the government to activate the Resilience Room and consider declaring a national emergency, which would permit a request for army assistance. First Minister John Swinney said he was monitoring developments, while the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Highland Council prepared contingency plans for further evacuations.

Communities and nature under strain

Katie Jachacy, owner of the Pine Marten Bar + Scran, said the fire had worsened since it forced her business to evacuate. She described the blaze as heading toward Nethy Bridge and said local tourism was suffering heavy losses.

With this wind having picked up and changing direction they are fighting a losing battle at this point. It is really escalating unfortunately. It's heading towards Nethy Bridge at the moment.... This is the busiest time of the year for us so the whole of the Aviemore area and Cairngorms National Park is haemorrhaging money because no one can come to the area. It's a very worrying time for what the future holds.

The fire has burned through Caledonian pinewood, an important habitat. The full impact on wildlife remains unclear as the fire still burns.