Cairngorms Wildfire Declared Major Incident Amid Evacuations

Police Scotland declared a major incident on Friday, May 24, 2024, triggering the precautionary evacuation of residents near Nethy Bridge.

The Scottish Government established a fire break around Nethy Bridge overnight, continuing to construct new ones to contain the relentless spread.

First Minister John Swinney chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) on Friday night, May 24, 2024.

The SGoRR reconvened at 7 am on Saturday, May 25, 2024, to review the rapidly evolving, critical situation.

Police Scotland confirmed officers visited all properties in Nethy Bridge, maintaining a visible presence in the village to support residents.

John McGlinchey claimed the evacuation plan did not truly begin until approximately 8 pm on Friday, May 24, 2024; his doorbell rang near midnight to request evacuation.

Some evacuated residents reportedly slept on hotel floors.

Authorities closed access roads into Nethy Bridge, urging the public to avoid affected areas within the Cairngorms National Park.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service deployed additional resources, requesting operators with suitable plant machinery report to the Village Hall in Nethy Bridge.

Judy Hill stated evidence suggested the fire was spreading directly towards Nethy Bridge, necessitating the major incident declaration and immediate resident evacuation.

Hill added that additional police resources are deploying to assist in contacting those needing to leave their properties and to maintain critical cordons around restricted areas.

First Minister John Swinney stated, '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.'

Swinney also confirmed, '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.'

Smoke from the wildfire drifted as far as Aberdeen due to changing wind conditions, prompting a smoke advisory for Tomintoul.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service advised, 'If you are affected by smoke, stay indoors where possible, keep windows and doors closed, and avoid strenuous outdoor activity.'

Sandy McCook described the smoke pall from Friday, May 24, 2024, as 'Apocalyptic.'

Changing weather conditions, including stronger winds, contributed directly to the increasingly unpredictable and dangerous behavior of the blaze.

Judy Hill confirmed, 'The weather conditions experienced within the Cairngorms over the last 24 hours have added further complexities to this situation.'

John Swinney acknowledged, '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.'

The fire forced the cancellation of a wedding at Castle Roy and earlier closures of properties and businesses in Glenmore Forest Park.

Locals accused the Scottish government of failing to act decisively in its response to the blaze, claiming the initiative came far too late.

Residents of the Cairngorms asserted the evacuation move came too late, claiming the Scottish government had been slow in scaling up the critical response.

Sandy McCook stated, 'A lot of people are upset, angry and frustrated at the ongoing situation because the Scottish Government said a week ago [on Wednesday, May 15, 2024] that they had enough resources to deal with it, and they said on Thursday, May 16, 2024, that the fire was contained.'

McCook further questioned, 'My argument with that is, if you said the fire was contained and you had enough resources last Wednesday, May 15, 2024, and Thursday, May 16, 2024, why are we still fighting it 10 days later and it’s still running out of control? It is still not controlled in any way shape or form.'

The Scottish Government had claimed a week ago that they possessed sufficient resources to deal with the fire, stating on Thursday, May 16, 2024, that the fire was contained.

Neil Gray claimed the government approached the military for additional helicopters, having 'exhausted all commercially available helicopters,' but had not yet received a response.

Gray affirmed, 'Throughout this significant incident, the government and the emergency services have given everything to ensuring that the fire is being addressed.'

Sandy McCook observed, 'I think a lot of people are running on adrenaline.'

Some residents brought donations of food and water to support the exhausted emergency crews.

First Minister John Swinney expressed gratitude, stating, '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, May 15, 2024. I remain in continued contact with SFRS and partners and SGORR will convene again.'