Residents to return to Scottish village after wildfire threat eases

Residents evacuated from Nethy Bridge in Scotland were expected to return home on Sunday after authorities said the major incident linked to a wildfire in Cairngorms National Park had ended.

About 650 people from the village were told to leave on Friday as a precaution while crews fought a blaze that had spread across about 600 hectares, or 1,500 acres. The fire had been burning for 11 days in the mountain park west of Aberdeen.

More than 500 firefighters, supported by helicopters, were deployed to fight the fire. Police Scotland Superintendent Judy Hill said late Saturday that the immediate threat that led to the evacuation of properties in Nethy Bridge was no longer present. She said crews, other resources and volunteers were still working in challenging conditions to put out the fires.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said late Saturday that 75 firefighters remained at the scene dealing with remaining flames near Nethy Bridge.

The region has had weeks of dry weather, while much of Britain has experienced an exceptionally hot summer with three heatwaves already recorded.