Cairngorms wildfire: incident timeline overview

It began on Wednesday, 15 July, near Ryvoan Bothy and Glenmore in the Cairngorms National Park. The response has involved hundreds of firefighters, and a number of partner agencies, helicopters, landowners and volunteers have been involved. The incident response continues exactly one month on from when it first began.

Below is a timeline of the major milestones throughout the incident.

At a glance

• Incident began: Wednesday, 15 July
• Scale of affected area: Approximately 25 square kilometres
• Firefighters mobilised throughout incident: More than 500
• Major incident declared: Friday, 24 July
• Major incident stood down: Saturday, 25 July
• Glenmore reopening announced: Thursday, 6 August (effective from Friday, 7 August)

Lettoch Road and Dorback roads around the Nethy Bridge area reopened following an extended period of closure.

The Forest Lodge access road in Abernethy Forest remains closed.

Following a multi-agency assessment, it was announced that the cordon around Glenmore affecting the C7 Ski Road would be lifted from 8am on Friday, 7 August, allowing local businesses to reopen and visitors to begin returning to parts of the area.

While much of Glenmore prepared to reopen, firefighting efforts remained focused on deep-seated peat fires in and around Abernethy Forest. 20 firefighters, specialist appliances, thermal imaging technology and helicopter support continued to be used where required.

Road closures near Abernethy Forest, where firefighting activity continues, remain. These include Forest Lodge access road in Abernethy Forest, Lettoch Road and Dorback.

Firefighting operations and work to remove felled and unsteady fire damaged trees continues.

Following a detailed multi-agency review, plans were announced to begin a phased reduction of the exclusion zone. Although significant progress had been made, crews were still dealing with deep-seated peat fires, unstable ground, tree-felling operations and the risk of reignition.

Partners estimated the wildfire had affected approximately 25 square kilometres of land across the Cairngorms. Firefighting activity and helicopter operations remained ongoing.

Heavy rain and lighter winds helped to ease fire behaviour and reduce further spread. More than 70 firefighters, nine appliances and three helicopters continued targeted firefighting operations, particularly around the northern edge of the incident.

Firefighters were expected to remain at the scene into the following week due to the scale and complexity of the wildfire.

Following intensive firefighting efforts and the establishment of effective firebreaks, residents in Nethy Bridge were able to safely return to their homes. The major incident declaration was stood down, although substantial resources remained in the area.

The national ‘very high risk’ wildfire warning also came to an end. Despite progress, helicopters and specialist crews continued working to contain remaining fire activity.

Strong winds caused a significant deterioration in conditions, resulting in unpredictable fire behaviour and further spread towards Nethy Bridge. Police Scotland declared that this had become a major incident, and residents of Nethy Bridge were evacuated as a precaution.

More than 500 firefighters had been mobilised throughout the incident by this point, supported by helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, specialist wildfire resources and partner agencies.

Although substantial progress had been made, large hotspots remained across challenging and remote terrain. Helicopter water-bombing operations continued and the public was urged not to enter restricted areas or bypass road closures. More than 100 firefighters and specialist resources continued to support efforts at the incident ground.

First Minister John Swinney visited crews at the scene to thank them and partner agencies for their efforts in the response.

By this stage, the fire had affected approximately 10 square kilometres across the Glenmore and Abernethy areas. More than 100 firefighters had been deployed since the incident began.

Crews tackling the wildfire were being supported by helicopter water-bombing operations. Additional specialist vehicles and wildfire units were deployed, and firefighters were reporting significant progress on both the eastern and western sides of the fire. Despite improving conditions, crews continued to warn that changing weather and wind conditions could cause rapid fire spread.

By Saturday, visible improvements were being reported across the incident ground. However, public access restrictions remained in place while crews monitored hotspots and maintained containment measures.

The wildfire had spread to affect approximately six square kilometres of land within the Cairngorms National Park. Firefighters worked overnight to protect properties and infrastructure, creating firebreaks with support from landowners and partner agencies. Evacuation plans remained in place for visitor centres and homes, and a strict cordon was maintained.

We were alerted to a large fire near Ryvoan Bothy shortly before 12pm. A number of fire appliances and specialist wildfire resources were mobilised, with smoke affecting nearby communities including Aviemore and Glenmore. Residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed.

By 9pm on Wednesday, the fire had spread to a fire front more than two kilometres wide. Homes, businesses, campsites and visitor facilities in the Glenmore area were evacuated as a precaution, while road closures and public access restrictions were introduced.