THE First Minister has asked for military aid from the UK Government to assist in tackling the Cairngorms wildfire.
The request comes as residents in the highland village of Nethy Bridge are “angry and frustrated” amid evacuation orders due to the nearby blaze.
More than 500 firefighters have been tackling the fire which has raged in the Cairngorms National Park for the past 10 days and forced the evacuation of homes in the region.
First Minister John Swinney has said the blaze remains a “major and serious” incident but that they were seeing an “improved picture” on Saturday afternoon.
In his latest update, he said: “A request has been made today to the UK Government for military assistance in aerial support that can be used to supplement existing resources that are being deployed to tackle the Cairngorms wildfire and we await a response.”
The military is not currently conducting any aerial firefighting operations in the area.
Swinney chaired the latest meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) at 1pm on Saturday, with two prior meetings held on Saturday morning and Friday night.
In attendance were Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, Justice Secretary Neil Gray, Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin and Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn, plus representatives from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Police Scotland, Highland Council and Cairngorms National Park.
The Scottish Government shared that the SFRS have reported positive progress in tackling the blaze, "whilst still taking proactive and preventative measures to stop its spread".
Air support is also being prioritised while the Scottish Government wait for the UK Government response.
Swinney further added: "The latest update I received on the situation in the Cairngorms shows an improved picture, however, as we have already seen, events can change very quickly due to the weather conditions. I would like to again thank the fire service, police and local partners for their efforts.
"This remains a major and serious incident, so it is still extremely important that people follow the advice of emergency services and the Cairngorms National Park. It is essential people avoid the affected areas for safety reasons and to allow responders to focus on tackling the wildfire."
