Residents have been evacuated after a “large-scale” wildfire broke out in the Scottish Highlands, billowing smoke towards nearby towns and villages.
The wildfire, which stretched more than two kilometres wide on Wednesday evening, started in heathland at the Cairngorms National Park earlier in the day.
Six fire appliances and specialist wildfire resources were dealing with the blaze, which broke out at Ryvoan Bothy, near Nethy Bridge, at about 11.50am on Wednesday.
There are no reported casualties.
On Wednesday evening, teams were working to create fire breaks as the blaze caused the flames to spread across trees and woodland.
Duncan Ferguson lives in Glenmore, a village near Aviemore.
He said police came to his house during the afternoon, telling residents to “leave your pets and go”.
Mr Ferguson, who is operations manager at the Spey Fishery Board, said a nearby campsite had not yet been evacuated.
He said the fire could become severe and affect property unless it was contained quickly, telling the Press Association: “It’s going to be bad, it’s going to be major unless they get hold of it.”
He continued: “It’s heathland at the minute, but it’s started to burn in the upper area of the regeneration of the Caledonian pine forest.
“Once it comes down into there, it’s dry, dry ground, with a real load to burn.
“It’s just going to get hotter and hotter.”
Glenmore Lodge, a nearby outdoors centre, said it was within the evacuation zone and advised travellers to avoid the area.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) told residents in Aviemore, Glenmore and the surrounding communities to keep their doors and windows closed.
Deputy assistant chief officer Ian McMeekin said: “This is a large-scale fire front, and our crews are working tirelessly to bring this fire under control and limit further spread.
“We must stress again that a very high risk of wildfire remains in place for large parts of Scotland this week.
“The risk is clear and the weather conditions today have contributed to this incident, with warm, high winds causing the fire to spread across areas of dry land.
“We have adequate resources committed to this incident, and our operational response will be scaled back overnight during hours of darkness to monitor conditions.
“However we anticipate being on scene for a considerable time to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.
“We know this is a very popular site for visitors and hillwalkers and we would ask that people continue to avoid this area until further notice.”
A spokesperson for the Cairngorms National Park Authority said: “The ongoing incident near Ryvoan Bothy is deeply concerning, and we are grateful to all those who are working to tackle the fire.
“We would echo the advice of SFRS to avoid the area while firefighters and partners work to bring this blaze under control.
“This incident – alongside wildfires we are seeing across the UK this week – serves as a stark reminder of the risks that periods of drier, hotter weather can pose.”
Firefighters are also battling a gorse fire at Garry Park Wood at Lochore Meadows Country Park in Fife.
Videos seen on social media showed flames and smoke rising from the park.
The SFRS said they were alerted to the blaze at about 3.15pm on Wednesday, and mobilised one appliance to the scene.
Parts of Scotland are at very high risk of wildfire over the next few days and the fire service has warned people to “stay vigilant” and act responsibly.
The SFRS, in conjunction with the Scottish Wildfire Forum, had earlier issued wildfire warnings for the central Highlands, southern and eastern Scotland.
The alert, warning of a very high risk of wildfire, is in force from Wednesday until Monday.
It follows days of hot and dry weather in many parts of the country.
The fire service said anyone who sees a large outdoor fire should call 999 immediately, giving the location and any other relevant information.
