Cairngorms wildfire is declared major incident as residents are evacuated and smoke is visible 59 miles away with firefighters battling blaze for tenth straight day

A huge wildfire in the Highlands in Scotland has been declared a 'major incident', with smoke visible 59 miles away and disgruntled residents evacuated. More than 500 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, which has raged in the Cairngorms National Park for the past ten days and forced the evacuation of homes in the remote region.There were warnings the day could see matters worsen thanks to the wind changing direction, meaning smoke is now blowing towards Aberdeenshire and the North Sea.Smoke is visible from Aberdeen, some 59 miles away, with flames seen from the outskirts of Nethy Bridge from where hundreds of residents have had to flee.Emergency services previously said significantly changed weather conditions, including stronger winds, have contributed to the unpredictable behaviour of the blaze.It has so far ravaged around 600 hectares of land. In an update on Saturday morning, Police Scotland said residents in a small area of properties north-west of Dorback Lodge (Lain Thatchan) had been evacuated as a precaution.The Scottish Government said a fire break around the village of Nethy Bridge was established overnight, and new breaks are being constructed as Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) deploys additional resources.A smoke advisory is also in place for Tomintoul, where residents have been advised to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke from the wildfire. More than 500 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, which has raged in the Cairngorms National Park for the past 10 days and forced the evacuation of homes in the remote region The blaze in Scotland (pictured) could get worse today as changing winds make it increasingly unpredictable Smoke is visible from Aberdeen, some 59 miles away, with flames seen from the outskirts of Nethy Bridge from where hundreds of residents have had to fleeResidents in the village of nearby Nethy Bridge are 'upset, angry and frustrated' amid fire evacuation orders and 'apocalyptic' palls of smoke from the blaze. 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.Speaking on Saturday, Mr McCook said: 'Apocalyptic is the word for the pall of smoke that was on the go yesterday.'On the ground, Mr McCook said there was a major increase in firefighting units from the SFRS in and around the village, plus multiple wildfire response units.'I think a lot of people are running on adrenaline,' he said.'A lot of people are upset, angry and frustrated at the ongoing situation because the Scottish Government said a week ago [on Wednesday] that they had enough resources to deal with it, and they said on Thursday that the fire was contained.'My argument with that is, if you said the fire was contained and you had enough resources last Wednesday and Thursday, why are we still fighting it 10 days later and it's still running out of control? It is still not controlled in any way shape or form.'On Saturday, emergency services said there were nine fire appliances at the scene, supported by specialist wildfire resources.SFRS said it has maintained a 'significant operational response' since the wildfire was first reported on July 15.More than 500 firefighters have tackled the blaze over the last ten days, alongside specialist wildfire appliances, all-terrain vehicles, helicopter water-bombing operations and partner agencies. More than 500 firefighters have tackled the blaze over the last 10 days, alongside specialist wildfire appliances, all-terrain vehicles, helicopter water-bombing operations and partner agencies A helicopter is seen flying above the Cairngorms National Park as part of firefighting efforts Emergency services at the Nethy Bridge Hotel today as they continue to fight the blaze'If you are affected by smoke, stay indoors where possible, keep windows and doors closed, and avoid strenuous outdoor activity,' a spokesperson for SFRS said.The service also requested more heavy machinery, such as bulldozers, to help with the response.'Operators who can provide suitable plant machinery to support the ongoing multi-agency response are asked to report to the Village Hall in Nethy Bridge,' the spokesperson said.The update came after First Minister John Swinney chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGoRR) on Friday night.The meeting was attended by several ministers and representatives from emergency services, including SFRS and Police Scotland.On Friday, the First Minister said: 'I would obviously ask people in the region to follow all of the advice that is available and to respect the exclusion zone that's been put in place.'This is an incident that we felt was moving in a positive direction earlier this week, but with the change of weather circumstances – which is an illustration of just the scale and difficulty of the situation that we are managing – it has moved in the other direction.'His comments came as smoke from the wildfire near Glenmore drifted as far as Aberdeen due to changing wind conditions.The fire, which broke out near the village of Glenmore on Wednesday last week, led to residents and campsites being evacuated.It covered about six square kilometres of heather and small trees at its height. Scorched grassland on Tintwistle Moor, in the Peak District, from a wildfire that has been burning for more than a month The fire on the moorland started on June 24 and has still not been completely extinguished Fire engines line up along a road near to the Tintwistle wildfire near GlossopEvacuated residents are being directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort.Members of the public are asked to avoid affected areas in the Cairngorms National Park. SFRS said the area remains unsafe due to firefighting operations, rapidly changing fire conditions and helicopter activity.Police Scotland Superintendent Judy Hill 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.'A second wildfire is also still burning a month on, affecting the Tintwistle Moor in the Peak District. Declared a major incident on 13 July, the blaze began on June 24 and is still ongoing.The UK is set for its fourth heatwave of the year as weather is set to remain dry and temperatures reach 35C next week. North Wales and the Upper Severn became the first part of the UK to declare drought status on Thursday, and parts of Exeter, Devon and Usk in Wales met their heatwave thresholds for 20 consecutive days.No rain has fallen in July in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and West Sussex, and 16 counties have recorded 0.1mm, which “might just be a bit of dew on the grass”, said the Met Office’s senior operational meteorologist Marco Petagna.The UK has had 20 per cent of its average July rainfall, which takes into account the wetter areas.It is “very, very unusual” for a hot and dry spell to last this long, Mr Petagna added.The dry conditions follow last year’s drought summer, as the UK faces more extreme weather fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly from burning fossil fuels.Heat alerts are in place across parts of England with officials warning that temperatures are likely to impact on health and wellbeing.The heat will climb again at start of the week, with Monday’s high forecast at 27C in the South East, just below the area’s heatwave threshold of 28C.Heatwave thresholds will start to be topped the following day, with highs of more than 30C expected until Thursday in the South East.