Extreme wildfire risk

A very high / extreme wildfire warning has been issued by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, covering the Cairngorms National Park until Monday 12 May. During this time the public are being asked not to light any fires or barbeques, always ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished and take litter (including glass, which can magnify the sun’s rays and produce enough heat to cause a fire) away. If you see a wildfire, dial the emergency services on 999 and provide them with the location.

Grant Moir, Chief Executive at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “The conditions out on the ground across the National Park right now are very dry, and it’s pretty clear that it really would only take one spark to potentially ignite a wildfire.

“We all love and care about this place, so we need to continue to act to protect the communities and nature in the National Park from the harm a wildfire could cause.

“We’re grateful to everyone who has followed and shared advice in response to the recent high fire risk messages, to help us protect this special place. However, in the past month, Park Authority and partner rangers have dealt with 19 live fires or barbeques and numerous former fire sites.

“Working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland, land managers and partner ranger services throughout the National Park, efforts to manage and mitigate fires and barbeques during periods of high fire risk will continue throughout the summer months in advance of the proposed implementation of a fire byelaw next year.”

The Park Authority’s proposed seasonal fire byelaw, developed after extensive public consultation, would be in force between April and September each year. The proposal is currently with Scottish Government ministers for approval.

Other work to manage wildfire risk includes:

• A team of Park Authority rangers are on daily patrols, alongside funding partner ranger services across the Cairngorms. Last year alone rangers engaged with almost 31,000 people and dealt with and removed 1,178 fire sites.
• We have funded additional police patrols in high-risk areas, including Glenmore.
• We have awarded significant funding for partners to purchase firefighting equipment and take part in on-the-ground training via our Climate Adaptation Fund.
• We coordinate public communications efforts with the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and other local and national partners, developing an alerts system for social media to disseminate further information to the public in times of fire risk.
• We host fortnightly meetings with ranger services and landowners across the National Park throughout the seasons to respond to emerging trends and agree collective approaches.