A wildfire in the Cairngorms has continued to burn for a third day, with footage showing the blaze spreading across the mountains. The blaze, which started late on Wednesday (15 July) morning in the Scottish national park, is currently affecting a four-mile-wide area. More than 50 firefighters and nine fire appliances were present on Friday (17 July) morning, as they attempted to prevent the flames from spreading to other areas. Several homes and businesses, including campsites and ski resorts in the Glenmore Forest Park area, have been closed and evacuated as a safety precaution. No casualties have been reported. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said they have “adequate resources” to deal with the “protracted incident” and are pumping water from Loch Morlich to support operations.

Huge plumes of smoke have been coming from the Cairngorms National Park as a wildfire spreads in the Scottish Highlands

The blaze ignited in heathland and had spread to kilometres wide within hours