Emergency services are urging people to stay away from parts of the Cairngorms National Park as firefighters continue to battle persistent wildfire hotspots, with operations expected to continue into next week.
Although significant progress has been made since the fire broke out on 15 July, large areas of difficult and remote terrain remain affected, with helicopters and ground crews continuing to tackle remaining pockets of fire and prevent fresh outbreaks.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has warned that the affected area remains unsafe while firefighting operations continue, with helicopter water bombing and crews working across the landscape.
Paths around Glenmore, Loch Morlich and Badaguish remain closed, along with low level routes providing access to Cairngorm Mountain, the Northern Corries, Meall A’ Bhuachaille, the Green Loch, Strath Nethy and Bynack More.
Sections of Abernethy Forest between Forest Lodge and Ryvoan Bothy also remain closed while emergency services continue their work.
Despite road closures, police cordons and warning signs, emergency services say they are continuing to receive reports of people attempting to enter restricted areas, creating additional risks for themselves and those responding to the incident.
Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Michael Humphreys said:
“Our firefighters, specialist resources and partners have worked tirelessly over the past week in challenging conditions, and we continue to make good progress.
“While the overall situation is improving, there are still substantial hotspots burning across a large and complex landscape.
“These hotspots continue to require intensive firefighting efforts, both on the ground and from the air, and crews will remain on scene into next week.
“We are asking members of the public to continue staying away from the affected areas while these operations remain ongoing.
“This allows firefighters and partners to work safely and effectively, reduces unnecessary impact on the emergency services, and helps protect the public from potential hazards.”
More than 100 firefighters have been involved in the response alongside specialist wildfire appliances, all terrain vehicles, helicopters, estate workers and partner agencies.
Police Scotland says public safety remains its priority as emergency services continue working to bring the incident under control.
Inspector Craig Johnstone said:
“We recognise the profound impact that these fires have had on the affected communities and the concerns they have generated in terms of potential property damage, evacuation from homes and loss of revenue.
“Our priority is ensuring the safety of the public and all decisions made during this multi agency response have been done so with this in mind.
“This has been a dynamic and ever changing incident, and several external factors have determined where road closures and exclusion zones have been implemented.
“These remain under continued review.
“Throughout the coming weekend, emergency services and other key partners will be continuing in their efforts to bring this incident to a safe conclusion, and we hope to update further on our progress towards the start of the following week.
“I once again want to offer my sincerest thanks to the public for their continued support and to recognise the outstanding work being undertaken by all agencies to return to normality at the earliest opportunity.”
Highland Council Convener Bill Lobban also appealed for people to follow official advice while a very high wildfire warning remains in place.
He said:
“This continues to be a live situation, with a very high wildfire warning in place until Friday and I urge everyone to heed the warnings from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in this extraordinary collective effort, with multiple partners including the emergency services, agencies, landowners, and community representatives, working side by side to protect our community, wildlife, and the natural environment from this devastating wildfire.
“It is heartbreaking to see the damage caused to such a valued landscape.
“I would like to commend the support being provided by Highland Council’s housing and roads teams in the background, and ongoing work across partners to identify and support affected businesses within the exclusion zone.”
The wildfire remains a fast changing incident, with weather conditions continuing to influence firefighting operations and the risk of hotspots reigniting, while nearby destinations including Aviemore remain open to visitors as normal.
