Swathes of Cairngorms unrecognisable after 12 days of ‘cataclysmic’ wildfires

It could take months for the blaze to be fully extinguished. Photograph: Robyn Vinter/The Guardian View image in fullscreen It could take months for the blaze to be fully extinguished. Photograph: Robyn Vinter/The Guardian Swathes of Cairngorms unrecognisable after 12 days of ‘cataclysmic’ wildfires With large areas still burning, damage from national park’s worst blaze could take decades, if not longer, to put right I t is the jewel in the crown of the Highlands, one of Scotland’s most impressive natural landscapes, but 12 days on from the start of an enormous wildfire that is tearing through moorland and forest, the Cairngorms national park is unrecognisable. Hectares of blackened land were visible as low cloud cleared on Sunday, with smoke billowing into the air from large areas still ablaze. In the evening, the sky glowed an eerie orange. Authorities have warned the danger is far from over in what has been described as the worst fire the Cairngorms has ever seen. It will be weeks, if not months, before the blaze is fully extinguished but emergency services are hoping they can stop it spreading much further. The damage so far has been significant and it will take decades to put right. Flames have claimed areas of the Caledonian pinewood forest, which contains Scots pine trees 300 years old, but most of the older forest has been saved by fire breaks urgently bulldozed into the land in the early days of the fire. “For rare habitat loss, it really is a challenge,” says Ian Allsopp, the Forestry and Land Scotland planning manager for the north region, saying larger animals, such as deer, would have escaped but smaller mammals, lizards, insects and ground-nesting birds would have perished. View image in fullscreen Flames have claimed areas of the Caledonian pinewood forest, which contains 300-year-old Scots pines. Photograph: Robyn Vinter/The Guardian Grant Moir, the chief executive of the Cairngorms national park, told the Guardian it was the worst fire the park had seen. “The fact that this is right in the centre of the Cairngorms, in the actual Cairngorm mountains and Abernethy – it is such a precious place,” he says. A national park bylaw was introduced in April, banning campfires and barbecues over the summer to help reduce ignition points. It is still unknown what caused this fire but the vast majority of UK wildfires have a human origin and can be something as small as a discarded cigarette or abandoned glass bottle. Police Scotland said on Saturday night it was no longer treating the fire as a major incident. However, anxiety is still high, particularly among local people who were told it was “contained” last week, only for strong winds to fan the flames, leading to the evacuation of Nethy Bridge village on Friday night. Residents have been told they can return home . Inside Nethy Bridge community centre, which is being used as a makeshift base for the emergency services, a long table against a wall is groaning under the weight of donated f