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,” Hill said.
Police forces continue maintaining security cordons in restricted parts of the park.
“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,” Hill said.
Hill affirmed that partner agencies are committed to securing the area thoroughly.
“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,” she said.
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Fire service officials noted that prolonged dry weather combined with inaccessible terrain made aerial water-bombing essential to protecting the Caledonian forest ecosystem.
“Our firefighters, specialist resources and partners have worked tirelessly over the past nine days to respond to this challenging and complex wildfire incident,” said Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Barbour explained that environmental elements severely hampered ground firefighting tactics.
“The combination of prolonged dry conditions, strengthening winds and challenging terrain has created an extremely complex operational environment.
Large areas of the fire ground are inaccessible by vehicle or on foot, making helicopter water-bombing operations and specialist wildfire tactics essential to our response,” Barbour said.
