Cairngorms wildfire hot spots warning issued after forest blaze
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A wildfire started by careless campers at Upper Rothiemurchus could have caused devastating damage but for the quick response from estate workers and local firefighters.
Around two hectares (20,000 square metres) of a mostly untouched part of the ancient naturally regenerating forest was burnt in the blaze around one kilometre from the Cairngorm Club Footbridge in the direction of Loch Morlich on Monday afternoon.
It appears that branches off old growth pine trees had been cut to start a camp fire which was then not fully extinguished.
Firefighters have said the blaze was fortunately contained mainly to the heather.
They have said that if the tree canopy had caught alight then the blaze would have spread much more quicker, fanned by gusting winds.
A source said: "There are still lots of hot spots so the area will have to be carefully watched for some time.
"It was lucky it was where it was and could have been much worse."
Access to the remote spot for fire crews who responded proved difficult as some of the specialised machinery could not gain access due to the terrain and lack of wide tracks.
This meant much of the equipment had to be taken in by hand.
Fortunately three Forestry Commission estate workers had managed to prevent the fire from spreading more widely before the 999 personnel arrived.
They were later praised by the fire service for their role "for making a big difference" in helping to contain the blaze.
Firefighters and estate workers then spent considerable time damping down smouldering tree roots after the main fire.
A SFRS spokesman said: "The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 2.23pm on Monday to reports of a fire in the open near Aviemore.
"Operations Control mobilised three fire engines to woodland at Upper Rothiemurchus where firefighters extinguished a fire which had taken hold of a section of heather.
"There were no casualties.
"Crews left the scene after ensuring the area had been made safe."
The last remaining firefighters are understood to have left the site at 7.09pm.
Fifteen firefighters from Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore were involved in the operation.
A spokesperson for Forest Enterprise Scotland said: "The fire was the result of a camp fire that had been lit and not been properly extinguished.
"Thankfully our team, and the fire service, were on site quickly enough to contain and dampen this down before it got out of hand.
"It was in an area of mature Scots pine so the damage could have been bad but thankfully only two hectares was affected and it was mostly the understorey that was burnt.
"During this time of hot and dry weather we would urge visitors to be particularly careful and we would strongly advise against lighting campfires or disposable barbecues.
"We would add that smokers should make sure that cigarettes are properly extinguished."
A spokesman for SFRS in Aviemore said: "Special thanks to Forestry Commission Scotland for help getting resources to the remote location quickly and to Rothiemurchus for popping along to check if there was anything they could do to help."
Some 2300 hectares of Rothiemurchus Upper forest was sold for £7.4 million to Forestry Commission Scotland in April 2014.
Matthew Kirkwood, senior Rothiemurchus Ranger and countryside manager who looks after wider estate adjacent to the site, said: "People regularly tell us that they have 'only lit a small fire'.
"All large fires start as small fires.
"There is no such thing as a safe open fire in old growth woodland especially in these dry conditions."
Several of the Old Caledonian Pines were destroyed but the vast majority of the charred trees should recover from the fire.
