Cairngorms wildfire evacuation ordered as Scotland declares major incident
Police declared a major incident as a Cairngorms wildfire spread over 600 hectares and forced precautionary evacuations.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Scottish authorities ordered a Cairngorms wildfire evacuation after police declared a major incident over a blaze spreading through Cairngorms National Park, AFP reported. The fire has burned across about 600 hectares, or 1,500 acres, of heather and brush in the Highland park since it was declared 10 days earlier, according to AFP.
More than 500 firefighters have been sent to fight the flames, with helicopters also used to drop water on the fire, AFP reported. The operation is focused in the Cairngorms, a mountain range west of Aberdeen that AFP described as a long-standing tourist attraction.
Authorities told residents of Nethy Bridge, a Highland village of about 650 people, to leave as a precaution, AFP reported. Firefighters said in a statement that people in other nearby remote areas were also being evacuated Saturday morning.
Why are people being evacuated from the Cairngorms wildfire?
Authorities ordered the evacuations as a precaution because the wildfire was close enough to threaten local communities, according to AFP. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service also told residents in villages near the fire to keep windows and doors shut because of smoke from the wildfire.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney chaired a crisis meeting Friday evening and described the firefighting effort as “a complex and difficult situation,” AFP reported. In a post on X on Saturday, Swinney said a change in wind direction overnight had reduced the immediate threat to Nethy Bridge.
The Scottish police declaration of a major incident signaled the seriousness of the response, AFP reported. Fire crews continued working Saturday as the blaze moved through open vegetation in the national park.
One Nethy Bridge resident, John McGlinchey, told the BBC he was disappointed that people had to wait until flames were nearly at their doorstep before relocating on short notice. His comments reflected local frustration as residents faced evacuation orders while firefighters remained on the scene.
What is happening in Cairngorms National Park?
Cairngorms National Park is in northern Scotland and includes the Cairngorms mountain range, AFP reported. The current fire is burning through heather and brush, vegetation that can carry flames across open ground when conditions allow.
AFP reported that firefighters were still working to douse the blaze Saturday, using both ground crews and helicopters. Officials have not reported any injuries in the information released by AFP.
Residents close to the affected area were told to follow evacuation instructions and take precautions against smoke, according to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service statement cited by AFP. The immediate risk to Nethy Bridge had eased after the wind shifted, Swinney said, but emergency crews remained deployed across the fire zone.
This story draws on original reporting from Phys.org.