Nethy Bridge evacuated as Cairngorms wildfire reaches major incident

All residents of Nethy Bridge were evacuated after Police Scotland declared a major incident as a wildfire burning in the Cairngorms National Park for 10 days moved closer to the village. The force said the decision followed “a significant change in weather conditions” that raised the risk of the fire spreading.

The blaze had already spread across 2km, or 1.2 miles, of dry land, according to BBC reporting. One BBC item said the fire started in heathland near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, and that villagers, campsites and ski resorts were forced out as the flames widened across the Highlands.

More than 50 firefighters were tackling the blaze in its earlier stages, BBC social media material said, as crews worked across difficult terrain in the national park. The scale of the evacuation showed how quickly a wildfire can move from a remote upland incident into a village-level emergency when wind and dry ground align.

First Minister John Swinney said, “all resources that can be deployed are being deployed.” The comment underscored the strain on emergency planning as police, fire crews and other responders moved to protect homes and keep the fire from pushing further into settled areas around Nethy Bridge.

Fire and Rescue Scotland later urged walkers, visitors and members of the public to stay away from affected areas while firefighting operations continued throughout next week. The warning reflected the access restrictions still in place around the Cairngorms incident, where emergency crews were keeping people out of danger while trying to contain a fast-changing wildfire in one of Scotland’s most visited landscapes.