Firefighters battle through the night as wildfire burns across Cairngorms National Park

Firefighters battle through the night as wildfire burns across Cairngorms National ParkImage source, Sam WallaceImage caption, The flames took hold at Ryvoan Bothy in the Cairngorms National Park before spreadingPublished33 minutes agoFirefighters have been battling overnight to try and contain a "large-scale" wildfire that has spread across 2kms (1.2 miles) of dry land in the Cairngorms National Park.Villagers, campsites and ski resorts have been evacuated in the area.The flames took hold at Ryvoan Bothy at Nethy Bridge at about 11:50 on Wednesday.There is currently a "very high" risk of wildfire in place for the central Highlands, southern and eastern Scotland.Members of the public are being urged to avoid Glenmore Forest Park and Loch Morlich as firefighting continues, with four appliances still at the scene.Deputy assistant chief officer Ian McMeekin said: "This is a large-scale fire front, and our crews are working tirelessly to bring this fire under control and limit further spread."The risk is clear and the weather conditions today have contributed to this incident, with warm, high winds causing the fire to spread across areas of dry land."We have adequate resources committed to this incident, and our operational response will be scaled back overnight during hours of darkness to monitor conditions. However we anticipate being on scene for a considerable time to bring this incident to a safe conclusion."Police said that evacuations had been carried out as a precaution, and that the C7 road - known locally as Ski Road - has been closed.A spokesperson for the force said: "Anyone walking in the Cairngorms should avoid the area and let family or friends know when they have returned."The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported casualties.Earlier the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) sent all staff on duty to the scene, as the blaze is on the southern boundary of the Loch Garten Na...