Scottish Government holds response meeting after Cairngorms wildfire evacuation

First Minister John Swinney has chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) after homes were evacuated amid a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park.

People in the Nethy Bridge area were evacuated as a precaution after Police Scotland declared the blaze a major incident.

It comes amid warnings that changing weather conditions, including stronger winds, have contributed to the increasingly unpredictable behaviour of the blaze.

Residents are being directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel, and access roads into Nethy Bridge have been closed.

The meeting was attended by several ministers and representatives from emergency services, including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Police Scotland.

“SFRS resources are focussed on creating a fire break and additional police resources are being deployed to assist with the evacuation, including identifying vulnerable residents who may need extra support,” he said after Saturday evening’s meeting.

He added: “I am extremely grateful to all the first responders who have been working hard to control this fire since it was first reported last Wednesday. I remain in continued contact with SFRS and partners and SGORR will convene again.”

Superintendent Judy Hill 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.

“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.

“We understand this is a very concerning time for residents, businesses and visitors to the Cairngorms region.

“Please be assured that the multi-agency response remains fully committed to bringing this incident to a safe conclusion as quickly as possible.”

The SFRS said it has maintained a “significant operational response” since the wildfire was first reported on July 15.

More than 500 firefighters have tackled the blaze over the last nine days, alongside specialist wildfire appliances, all-terrain vehicles, helicopter water-bombing operations and partner agencies.

Deputy assistant chief officer Kenny Barbour said: “Our firefighters, specialist resources and partners have worked tirelessly over the past nine days to respond to this challenging and complex wildfire incident.

“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.”

He added: “We recognise this is an extremely worrying time for those affected, particularly residents who have been asked to leave their homes. Public safety remains our absolute priority, and we ask everyone to continue following the advice of Police Scotland and to stay away from the affected areas while firefighting operations remain ongoing.”

Members of the public are asked to avoid the affected areas within the Cairngorms National Park. The SFRS said the area remains unsafe due to active firefighting operations, rapidly changing fire conditions and helicopter activity.

Mr Swinney earlier urged people to respect the exclusion zones around the fire.

He told the Press Association: “I would obviously ask people in the region to follow all of the advice that is available and to respect the exclusion zone that’s been put in place.

“This is an incident that we felt was moving in a positive direction earlier this week, but with the change of weather circumstances – which is an illustration of just the scale and difficulty of the situation that we are managing – it has moved in the other direction.”

His comments came as smoke from the ongoing wildfire near Glenmore drifted as far as Aberdeen due to changing wind conditions.

The wildfire, which broke out near the village of Glenmore on Wednesday last week, led to residents and campsites being evacuated.

It covered an area of about six square kilometres of heather and small trees at its height.

Published: 25/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub