Firefighters tackling two kilometre wildfire in Cairngorms National Park (4)

Emergency services continue to tackle a large-scale wildfire covering more than two kilometres in width near to Glenmore in the Cairngorms National Park.

A number of homes and business including campsites and ski resorts within the Glenmore Forest Park area have been closed and evacuated as a safety precaution due to the close proximity to the incident.

As of 9pm on Wednesday night (15 July), Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) currently has six fire appliances, a wildfire unit, specialist resources and tactical commanders mobilised to the scene after the alarm was raised just before 12pm earlier today.

Firefighters are working with landowners to contain the incident and create fire breaks, with high winds causing the fire to spread across areas of trees and woodland. There are no reported casualties.

Road closures are in place to support the emergency response, and people are asked to avoid the area within Glenmore Forest Park and Loch Morlich on Thursday, 16 July as this incident continues.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Ian McMeekin, SFRS Head of Prevention, said: "This is a large-scale fire front, and our crews are working tirelessly to bring this fire under control and limit further spread.

"We must stress again that a very high risk of wildfire remains in place for large parts of Scotland this week. The risk is clear and the weather conditions today have contributed to this incident, with warm, high winds causing the fire to spread across areas of dry land.

"We have adequate resources committed to this incident, and our operational response will be scaled back overnight during hours of darkness to monitor conditions. However we anticipate being on scene for a considerable time to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.

"We know this is a very popular site for visitors and hillwalkers and we would ask that people continue to avoid this area until further notice."

This incident follows a 'very high risk' wildfire warning issued earlier this week covering Central Highlands, Southern and Eastern Scotland from Wednesday, 15 July to Monday, 20 July.

ENDS