Cairngorms National Park wildfire declared major incident with hundreds evacuated

Josh Milton | Senior science and technology reporter Published July 25, 2026 2:12pm Updated July 25, 2026 2:34pm Residents of Nethy Bridge were advised to evacuate yesterday evening (Picture: Ronan Dugan) A wildfire which has engulfed the UK’s largest national park has been declared a ‘major incident’. Cairngorms National Park has been burning for 10 days, destroying trees and sending toxic smoke across north east Scotland. Police declared the wildfire a major incident yesterday, warning that strong, dry winds are whipping up the ‘unpredictable’ blaze. A ‘major incident’ can cause ‘serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life’, according to the emergency services framework. The fire is being swept towards Nethy Bridge, a village of around 700 people who have been evacuated to Mac