RAF Chinooks Offered as the Cairngorms Fire Enters Day 12
The Ministry of Defence has offered Chinook helicopters and troops to help fight the Cairngorms wildfire as it entered its twelfth day, after Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, requested military support. Firefighters reported “welcome progress” and evacuated residents of Nethy Bridge were allowed home, but crews cautioned that the blaze was not yet under control.
The offer of RAF Chinooks, able to dump large volumes of water, marks an escalation of the response to one of Scotland’s most serious wildfires in years, with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service maintaining a major operation across the tinder-dry national park. The fire has become entangled in politics, prompting debate over the UK government’s response and the wider relationship between Edinburgh and Westminster. Wildfires, once rare in Scotland, are growing more common after repeated heatwaves and the driest spring on record. Watch whether the military aid is deployed and how quickly the fire is brought under control.