Scottish Justice Secretary Neil Gray has said the Scottish Government is “not expecting to be able to get additional support from the UK military” to help fight the large wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday Show, Mr Gray said it is his understanding that the UK military “does not have the capability” that is required for the fire.
Firefighting efforts
More than 500 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, which has raged through Cairngorms National Park for the past 11 days and forced homes to be evacuated in the remote region. The First Minister asked the UK Government for military aid after residents in the Highland village of Nethy Bridge were given evacuation orders on Friday night.
On Saturday night, Police Scotland said the fire is no longer being considered a major incident after work to contain it reduced the risk to nearby communities. However, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and other partners remain on the ground fighting the wildfire.
Request for military aid
Mr Gray said he had not seen a response to the request yet. “Our understanding that I received from SFRS, and indeed from others during the week, is that the UK military does not have the capability that we are requiring in this case, which is that tactical aerial helicopter support.”
He noted that the Scottish Government has a lease with commercial aircraft via Nature Scot, and that yesterday two helicopters were on scene.
Impact on community
The justice secretary insisted the Scottish Government has enough ground support and resources. He said the military request was “limited to aerial support” and that the national resource from SFRS has been significant.
When asked about local criticism over resource deployment, Mr Gray said: “I very much understand the anger and frustration, the upset and worry that there has been, and for those living and working with business in the immediate vicinity, this has been a significant incident.”
On Sunday, the Abernethy Highland Games scheduled for August were cancelled because the local community centre remains in use by emergency services and many volunteers have been involved in firefighting.
