Nethy Bridge: Residents allowed to return after evacuation from Cairngorms wildfire
Residents of Nethy Bridge in Scotland have been cleared to return home after a major wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park was downgraded. While the immediate threat has subsided, emergency services remain on-site to monitor the situation.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the challenges of managing large-scale wildfires in protected areas and the public scrutiny regarding government response times.
Image source, PA Media By Yang Tian Published 25 July 2026 Updated 26 July 2026 00:28 BST Residents of the village of Nethy Bridge, near the wildfire that has been burning in the Cairngorms, have been told they can return to their homes after being evacuated on Friday night.
The fire was declared a major incident due to a change in weather, but that has now been stood down by Police Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney said the government and emergency services will continue to treat the blaze with the utmost seriousness until the last flames are out.
Locals have criticised the handling of the wildfire , which has been burning for 10 days, saying the move to declare it a major incident came too late and the government had been slow in scaling up their response.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in