Scottish Highlands wildfire ravages Cairngorms as climate warms

Six fire appliances, a specialist wildfire unit and an additional 4x4 vehicle were deployed to a wildfire near Glenmore in Cairngorms National Park on 16 July. The blaze was affecting about six square kilometres.

The fire began near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, and nearby homes were evacuated during the incident. Scotland’s justice secretary, Neil Gray, called the fire “currently contained” and praised the “exceptional work of firefighters.” Wind shifts later pushed smoke far beyond the park. Smoke could be seen 59 miles away in Aberdeen, according to BBC, and renewed warnings were issued across parts of Aviemore and Aberdeenshire.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority described the scene as “apocalyptic.” The wildfire had burned for two weeks and destroyed a large area of habitat, including peatland and woodland. Major incident status remained in place on 25 July.

In 2024, Scotland lost 4,000 hectares to wildfires, and in 2025 more than 9,000 hectares had already burned. June 2025 brought the largest recorded wildfire in Scotland’s history, affecting 11,827 hectares of moorland and woodland across the Highlands and Moray. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said wildfires, floods and heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warms.

Its wildfire-management materials ban fires and barbecues across the national park, and its Integrated Wildfire Management Plan, published in August 2025, set out wildfire risk assessments, visitor management, signage, community communications and better firefighting coordination.