Police declare ‘major incident’ as wind change increases Cairngorms wildfire risk

Police Scotland has declared a major incident as emergency services continue to battle a bushfire that has been burning for 10 days in the Cairngorms National Park.

Police said the fire followed a “significant change in weather conditions” that increased the risk of it spreading towards the village of Nethy Bridge.

All Nethy Bridge residents were evacuated so that emergency services could continue responding.

First Minister John Swinney said: “Every resource that can be deployed has been deployed.”

Following a change in wind direction, smoke from the bushfire can now be seen 95 miles away from Aberdeen.

Supt Judy Hill said: “Weather conditions in the Cairngorms over the last 24 hours have added further complexity to this situation.

“Due to evidence showing that the fire was spreading towards the Nethy Bridge, it was decided to declare a major incident and evacuate residents as a precaution.

“As our fire colleagues continue to battle the bushfire, additional police resources are being deployed to contact those who need to leave their property and maintain cordons in restricted areas.”