Police declare ‘major incident’ as wind change increases Cairngorms wildfire risk
Constantvpn.com – A change in the wind direction caused a flare-up on Thursday night A major incident has been declared by Police Scotland as emergency services continue to tackle a wildfire which has been burning in the Cairngorms National Park for 10 days. The force said it followed "a significant change in weather conditions" which has increased the risk of fire spreading towards the village of Nethy Bridge. All Nethy Bridge residents have been evacuated as a precaution to allow emergency services to continue their response.
But a local resident told the BBC the wildfire should have been declared a major incident sooner and the lack of communication from authorities had been "pretty poor". The BBC has contacted the Scottish government and Police Scotland for comment. First Minister John Swinney, who held a meeting of the Scottish government's resilience room early on Saturday, said additional police resources were being deployed to assist with the Nethy Bridge evacuation.
He urged people to "respect the exclusion zone that's been put in place", adding that the change in weather conditions illustrated "the scale and difficulty of the situation that we are managing". Smoke from the wildfire can now be seen 59 miles away in Aberdeen following a change in wind direction. Supt Judy Hill said weather conditions "experienced within the Cairngorms over the last 24 hours have added further complexities to this situation".
"With evidence suggesting the fire is spreading towards Nethy Bridge, the decision has been taken to declare a major incident and evacuate residents as a precaution." She said additional police resources were being deployed to help contact those who need to leave their properties. The risk of the fire spreading has increased because of a change in wind direction A Police Scotland statement said Nethy Bridge residents were being directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel and access roads into Nethy Bridge had been closed. John McGlinchey, a local resident of Nethy Bridge, said he felt disappointed that residents were "having to wait until the flames are almost on our doorstep and having to relocate at such notice".
He said there is a major concern for mobilising the many elderly people in the village and those with disabilities. With the "last-minute" evacuation call, a lot of people will also have to go out of pocket for accommodation because of a lack of contingency plans from the government, he added. MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Andrew Bowie, who is the Conservative shadow secretary of state for Scotland, said "increasing numbers of constituents" had been getting in touch to express concern.
In a letter , external to Scottish government minister Gillian Martin he claimed the SNP-led administration had "failed to treat the situation with the seriousness and attention that it deserves". He singled out the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) lack of direct access to helicopter support. Currently it calls in private companies with helicopters and specialist equipment when needed.
First Minister John Swinney said the government's resilience room was "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". "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," he added. The SFRS has said the Cairngorms wildfire has been "appropriately resourced" from the start.
New pockets or fires are still breaking out within the national park More than 100 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, which first broke out near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, last Wednesday. It covered an area of about six sq km (2.3 sq miles) of heather and small trees at its height. Eleven fire engines, wildlife units and a command support unit are still at the scene.
Firefighters said miles-long firebreaks had helped to contain the latest break-outs on Thursday night while drones were directing crews to hot spots. Police officers on the scene are directing evacuated Nethy Bridge residents to an Aviemore hotel The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said the fire remained "dynamic and unpredictable". A spokesman said: "Changing wind strength and direction can cause flare-ups, reignition and the spread of smoke, with conditions continuing to evolve.
"Firefighters remain deployed to tackle the incident across a vast and complex landscape, supported by ongoing helicopter water-bombing operations," the SFRS spokesman added. The wildfire in the Cairngorms has brought a haze to Aberdeen The SFRS had previously said residents and businesses in the east area of Aviemore, as well as across parts of Aberdeenshire – including Inverurie, Banchory and Kintore and surrounding areas – and as far as Aberdeen city, may see or smell smoke on Friday and into the weekend. They advised anyone affected to keep windows and doors closed.
Highland wildfire smoke blows into Aberdeen – 59 miles away Cairngorm wildfire 'flare-up' as people urged to stay away 'Significant hot spots' remain at Cairngorms wildfire
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