Firefighters battle through the night as wildfire burns across Cairngorms National Park

Image source, Sam Wallace Image caption, The flames took hold at Ryvoan Bothy in the Cairngorms National Park before spreading Published 16 July 2026, 06:42 BST Updated 17 minutes ago Firefighters have been battling overnight to try and contain a "large-scale" wildfire that has spread across more than two miles (3.5km) of dry land in the Cairngorms National Park. Villagers, campsites and ski resorts have been evacuated in the area. The flames took hold at Ryvoan Bothy at Nethy Bridge at about 11:50 on Wednesday. There is currently a "very high" risk of wildfire in place for the central Highlands, southern and eastern Scotland. Members of the public are being urged to avoid Glenmore Forest Park and Loch Morlich as firefighting continues, with four appliances still at the scene. Deputy assistant chief officer Ian McMeekin said: "We have been fighting the fire for a period of time now and overnight we still have four appliances in attendance, but we are reassessing the situation this morning. "We are looking to try and bring additional resources in after that assessment. "It is very much an ongoing incident and we expect to be there for the remainder of the day." McKeekin told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme it was "far too early" to identify the cause of the fire but reminded members of the public to be responsible when enjoying the outdoors. "We understand that, in the summer months in particular, people will be wanting to enjoy the outdoors and we know people play a key role in trying to reduce fires," he continued. Advice includes taking picnics instead of disposable barbeques, not leaving litter behind - especially glass - and disposing of cigarettes fully. Police said that evacuations had been carried out as a precaution, and that the C7 road - known locally as Ski Road - has been closed. A spokesperson for the force said: "Anyone walking in the Cairngorms should avoid the area and let family or friends know when they have returned." The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported casualties. Earlier the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) sent all staff on duty to the scene, as the blaze is on the southern boundary of the Loch Garten Nature Reserve in Abernethy, which it owns. They said the fire is not a risk to ospreys that are located about six miles away. However the BBC understands there are capercaillie - a large woodland grouse - around Ryvoan. A number of residents from nearby villages and towns said they could see plumes of smoke and could hear sirens racing to the scene. Image source, RSPB Image caption, The fire has spread across the Cairngorms BBC Scotland News spoke to local resident Duncan Ferguson who was evacuated earlier. He said: "This afternoon we were evacuated by the police which was quite an experience - considering when we were evacuated and got to the campsite everybody was sitting there drinking their coffee. "There was a band playing outside the Pine Martin and traffic was st