Cairngorms wildfire 'undoubtedly' started by humans, says Justice Secretary Neil Gray

Hundreds of firefighters have spent the past 13 days tackling the blaze, and residents in Nethy Bridge and other areas of the national park were evacuated as a precaution.

The fire has now been downgraded from a “major incident” and residents have been allowed to return home, but the wildfire continues to burn.

Mr Gray said the Scottish Government is now reviewing its strategy on the back of this wildfire, but believes it was started by humans lighting barbecues or discarding litter.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, he said: “The fire service’s response is to put the fire out, but there may well be investigations to establish for certain what has caused it.

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“But undoubtedly it will be because of human interaction in some form, maybe discarded litter like a bottle reflecting the sun or a barbecue or other naked flame.

"That's why the government stepped up communications over the summer giving people information when they are in the likes of the Cairngorms. There are signs everywhere saying ‘no barbecues’ and giving information on climate change.”

Residents in the Cairngorms have also slammed the SNP government as "churlish and extreme” for turning down UK Government help to tackle the wildfire.

Government ministers had asked the UK Government to provide military waterbombing capabilities to help tackle the fire, but were told this resource does not exist. They were instead offered alternative equipment, which the Scottish Government turned down.

Sandy McCook, who heads up Nethy Bridge Community Council, said the village is “very disappointed” in the Scottish Government’s response to the wildfire.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, he said: “[We should have] asked for UK resources a week ago when the fire was clearly running away from the fire service. Regardless of what [Justice Secretary] Neil Gray says, we wouldn’t still be here fighting it now.

“We asked for military equipment last week then they dithered and dithered, so I am now disappointed that the UK Government has offered alternative equipment and then turning it down is churlish and extreme.”

Mr McCook says there should be helicopters on stand-by across the country to help the country deal with the wildfires, in a similar way to the Scottish Air Ambulance’s operational model.

He said: “It wouldn’t even need to be 12 months of the year, it could be just for the fire season, and we could have them under government contracts like the coverage in the west coast for ships in distress.

“They could be used at a moment’s notice. When this fire was discovered, the person who reported it said it was the size of a small car, but now it has covered 30 square kilometres of our most beautiful landscape, which is now burnt to a crisp and is still burning and smouldering.”

Over the weekend the government’s resilience room, which is set up to help respond to national emergencies, met several times. These meetings included First Minister John Swinney, Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, Justice Secretary Neil Gray, Rural Affair Secretary Gillian Martin, representatives from the emergency services, and the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Mr Gray said it was “absolutely not” the case that turning down UK Government support was a political decision.

He said: “I have been given assurances from the emergency services that they have all the resources necessary.

“We made a request for aerial waterbombing support over the weekend, which is why we made a request to the UK Government for military assistance, but the UK doesn’t have that military capability so we couldn't get any further support or assistance.

“But I give my reassurance to residents that at all points all the resources necessary have been on the ground to tackle this blaze.”

He said “people will be concerned to learn” the UK military does not have aerial waterbombing capabilities, but added all commercially available support from across the UK has been used.