A MAJOR incident has been declared by Police Scotland as changing weather means the Cairngorms wildfire is behaving in an "unpredictable" way.
As a precaution, residents of Nethy Bridge are being evacuated and all access roads to the village have been closed.
A dedicated respite centre has been set up at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel while fire crews continue tackling the blaze.
Superintendent Judy Hill, Police Scotland, said: "The 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.
"Additional police resources are being deployed to assist in contacting those who need to leave their properties and to maintain cordons around restricted areas while our fire service colleagues continue to tackle the wildfire.
"We understand this is a very concerning time for residents, businesses and visitors to the Cairngorms region. Please be assured that the multi-agency response remains fully committed to bringing this incident to a safe conclusion as quickly as possible."
Members of the public are advised to continue to avoid the affected areas within the Cairngorms National Park.
The following areas remain closed or subject to access restrictions:
- Paths around Glenmore, Loch Morlich and Badaguish.
- Low-level routes including the Old Logging Way and routes providing access to Cairngorm Mountain, the Northern Corries, Meall A' Bhuachaille, the Green Loch (Lochan Uaine), Strath Nethy and Bynack More.
- Paths within Abernethy Forest to the south of Forest Lodge towards Ryvoan Bothy.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour said teams have been working tirelessly for nine days to try and tackle this "challenging and complex" wildfire.
He continued: "The combination of prolonged dry conditions, strengthening winds and challenging terrain has created an extremely complex operational environment. Large areas of the fire ground are inaccessible by vehicle or on foot, making helicopter water-bombing operations and specialist wildfire tactics essential to our response.
"More than 500 firefighters have been mobilised since the incident began, supported by specialist wildfire appliances, all-terrain vehicles, helicopters and partner agencies. We will continue to maintain a significant operational response for as long as it is required.
"We recognise this is an extremely worrying time for those affected, particularly residents who have been asked to leave their homes. Public safety remains our absolute priority, and we ask everyone to continue following the advice of Police Scotland and to stay away from the affected areas while firefighting operations remain ongoing."
Earlier on Friday, hazy smoke reached Aberdeen more than 50 miles away, with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service advising residents to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution.
Cairngorms National Park Authority said a helicopter is being used to douse the flames with water and strategic fire breaks are also being created.
The wildfire, which broke out near the village of Glenmore on Wednesday last week, led to residents and campsites being evacuated.
