Further update on response to Cairngorms wildfire
Major Incident remains in place.
First Minister John Swinney has chaired a further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) on the wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park.
Also in attendance for the update at 13:00 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.
SFRS reported positive progress in tackling the blaze, whilst still taking proactive and preventative measures to stop its spread. Air support is also being prioritised for the areas where it is of most benefit.
The First Minister said:
“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.
“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.”
Background
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room will meet again later this evening.