A wildfire that has been burning for 10 days in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands has been declared a major incident, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people and a formal request for military help. The scale of the fire, which locals have described as the worst in living memory, has put pressure on the Scottish Government over the speed and adequacy of its response to a threat more commonly associated with southern Europe than with Scotland.
The blaze was declared a major incident on Friday night. Changing winds that accelerated the spread of the fire prompted Police Scotland to evacuate the village of Nethy Bridge, and a firebreak was established around the community in an effort to protect it. Fire crews have been working to create further breaks in other areas in an attempt to slow the fire's relentless advance across the landscape.
Scotland's First Minister has confirmed that a request has been made to the UK government for military assistance, specifically for aerial support to supplement the resources already deployed on the ground and in the air. The move came after the Scottish Government's resilience room, the devolved equivalent of the UK's Cobra emergency committee, was reconvened early on Saturday to coordinate the response.
Ministers have defended their handling of the emergency, insisting that appropriate resources have been available throughout. Officials said helicopters had been on hand across the course of the week, with two available on Saturday and the number expected to increase the following day. The government added that it keeps its response under constant review in the face of what it called the ever-growing threat of wildfires.
Despite those reassurances, many residents said they felt let down. Critics argued that the government should have acted more quickly and more decisively, pointing out that only days earlier officials had said they had sufficient resources to fight the blaze. Some called for a standing arrangement to have a contract helicopter permanently available for instant dispatch throughout the fire season, roughly from April to September.
Those who know the area described scenes without precedent. One resident said it was the worst fire seen there in living memory and probably longer, while others said the smoke was visible from around five or six miles away and likened the situation to an apocalyptic scale. Smoke warnings have been issued to areas downwind of the fire, and the fire service has appealed for more bulldozers and heavy equipment to help tackle a task that at times appears almost impossible.
The Cairngorms fire has unfolded at the same time as far larger wildfires have devastated parts of France and Spain, where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes. While the Scottish blaze is on a smaller scale, its intensity has surprised many in a country usually associated with cool, wet weather, with observers pointing to unusually dry ground and shifting conditions as the fire continues to burn.