Residents who were evacuated from Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms after fears the fire was heading towards homes have been allowed to return home. Police Scotland said on Saturday evening that the blaze was no longer considered a major incident, ending the evacuation that took place on Friday night.
The fire has raged for the past 10 days and forced the evacuation of homes in the remote village. On Saturday night, Supt Judy Hill, of Police Scotland, said there was
"no longer the immediate threat which prompted the evacuation of properties in Nethy Bridge."
She said this was thanks to the efforts of
"fire crews, gamekeepers, contractors, partners and many others over the past 24 hours,"adding that the response had helped bring the situation under control.
First Minister John Swinney praised the
"resilience and tireless efforts"of those on the ground to bring the blaze under control.
He added:
"I want to stress however, that the Scottish government, the emergency services and all relevant authorities will continue to treat this wildfire, as has been the case since its onset, with the utmost seriousness and necessary resources until the last flames are out."
Mr Swinney said a request had been made to the UK government for
"military assistance in aerial support"and that he was awaiting a response. BBC Scotland News has approached the UK government for comment.
The scale of the fire in the Cairngorms has been shown in aerial images as emergency crews continued their response.
Sandy McCook, chairman of the Nethy Bridge and Vicinity Community Council, said residents of the Cairngorms village could see large plumes of smoke from the wildfire on Friday before they were evacuated.
"Apocalyptic is the word for the pall of smoke that was on the go [on Friday],"he said.
On Saturday at midday he said it was blowing towards Aberdeenshire and the North Sea, but the flames were still
"very plain to see"from the outskirts of Nethy Bridge.
Emergency services previously said significantly changed weather conditions, including stronger winds, had contributed to the unpredictable behaviour of the blaze.
