Cairngorms National Park Wildfire: Major Incident Declared, Evacuations in Nethy Bridge

A major incident has been declared by emergency services as they continue to tackle a wildfire which has been burning in the Cairngorms National Park for 10 days. Some residents of the village of Nethy Bridge have been evacuated as a precaution. But a local resident told the BBC the wildfire should have been declared a major incident sooner and communication from authorities had been "pretty poor". The Scottish government said a fire break had been established around Nethy Bridge overnight and new fire breaks were being constructed. First Minister John Swinney, who held a meeting of the Scottish government's resilience committee early on Saturday, said additional police and fire service resources were being deployed to assist with the evacuation. He said that it was "essential people avoid the affected areas." Swinney continued: "The wind has changed direction overnight, which means the track of the fire has altered once again and the threat to Nethy Bridge has reduced, for the moment at least. "Ground and helicopter resources are being focused on the current path of the fire and new fire breaks constructed." Smoke from the wildfire can now be seen 59 miles away in Aberdeen following a change in wind direction. He said they decided to stay unless the fire got considerably closer, adding: "We've got a camper van and we're all ready and set to go at a moment's notice. If it gets smoky, we'll go." A wedding was due to take place at Castle Roy, which is near the village, but Eccles said this has had to be cancelled as a result of the wildfire evacuations. He said the Scottish government's response had been "poor" and a major incident should have been declared earlier, with military assistance brought in to tackle the fire before it spread. Eccles said: "It's a bit like closing the stable door now that the horse has bolted." More than 100 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, which first broke out near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, last Wednesday. It covered an area of about six sq km (2.3 sq miles) of heather and small trees at its height. Eleven fire engines, wildlife units and a command support unit are still at the scene. Firefighters said miles-long firebreaks had helped to contain the latest break-outs on Thursday night while drones were directing crews to hot spots.