Image source, PA Media

We're wrapping up our coverage this afternoon of the emergency response to the Cairngorms wildfire.

Scotland's justice secretary Neil Gray says the blaze is "currently contained" thanks to exceptional work of firefighters, but a "very high" risk of further blazes remains in place.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) says six fire engines, a specialist wildfire unit and a 4x4 vehicle are still at the scene.

The fire took hold at Ryvoan Bothy at Nethy Bridge at about 11:50 on Wednesday.

It spread across more than two miles (3.5km) of dry land in 24 hours, with nearby villages and campsites evacuated.

Thanks for following our live coverage today. You can read more about the emergency efforts here.

Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, says landowners and local groups have been calling for a new fire plan for the area.

Earlier this afternoon he was speaking to Lunchtime Live on BBC Radio Scotland.

"We risk seeing serious loss of life unless we have a robust fire plan with aircraft that can be called upon at short notice, he said.

"It is something I’ve been discussing with local landowners and other groups in the area

"I will be pressing the Scottish government about this, particularly concerns from landowners about access to helicopters that could help tackle these wildfires.

"Much of the terrain is often difficult for fire officers to get to with their appliances and other equipment."

Baxter says both the Scottish and UK governments should look at having "publicly available" firefighting aircraft during the wildfire season, rather than relying on private operators.

Asthma and Lung UK Scotland has issued advice to residents and visitors in the Cairngorms area who suffer from asthma or lung conditions.

Charity head Joseph Carter says that smoke from wildfires could make lung condition symptoms worse, such as coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.

"This can lead to a flare-up or an asthma attack, which can be life-threatening," he says.

“Anyone with a lung condition like asthma or COPD in the Cairngorms area should make sure they have their reliever inhaler with them and keep windows and doors closed and limit outdoor activities and exercise."

He adds: "If people follow our air pollution tips on our website, external, such as taking their preventer inhaler as prescribed and keeping their reliever inhaler with them, they can help manage the risks and stay safe until the wildfires have been extinguished and the smoke has had time to clear”.

Cairngorms fire covers estimated 251 hectares, satellite data suggestspublished at 15:40 BST

15:40 BST

By Alex Murray

I’ve been looking at Copernicus EFFIS, the European forest fire information system, to see what more it can tell us about the Glenmore fire.

Like Nasa’s FIRMS platform - which we featured on this live page earlier - it also offers a Rapid Damage Assessment tool. This gives an estimated calculation for the area burnt by fire so far as 251 hectares.

This is an early estimate and may change. The satellite data being used at this stage is low resolution, so it may not show the full detail on the ground.

Image source, Copernicus EFFIS

The Glenmore fire is about 30 miles south of the area that was dubbed the UK’s first “megafire” by scientists after a vast area of moorland was torched last year.

The fire on Dava Moor, around Grantown-on-Spey and Forres, started on 28 June and burned for four days.

It's thought this fire burned as much land as typically burns across the UK in an entire year.

It came just days after a wildfire at nearby Carrbridge which reignited on multiple occasions over 11 days before being fully extinguished.

"Megafire" is a term used in the US, external to describe fires that are extreme in size, behaviour and impact on land and people.

Image source, PA Media

Scotland's Justice Secretary Neil Gray says the wildfire is currently contained "thanks to the exceptional work of firefighters".

Gray, whose ministerial responsibilities include the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), also praised police, land managers and volunteers for "doing an outstanding job keeping people, property and the natural environment as safe as possible".

He adds: "Public safety is the priority, which is why the decision to evacuate a campsite and various properties has been taken as a precautionary measure.

"The Scottish government continues to monitor the situation closely and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed they have adequate resources committed to this incident."

BBC Your Voice

Image source, Ann Conlin

Ann Conlin and her husband, from Glasgow, have a seasonal caravan at Glenmore. They were evacuated to a hotel - but she didn't get a bed.

She uploaded pictures from inside the hotel to BBC Your Voice and told us she was listening to music from the Pine Marten Bar in Glenmore, when they saw police and fire crews heading up the Ski Road.

"Very very limited resources at the hotel [we were] evacuated to however NHS Grampian were superb finding a bed for my husband who has heart failure," she added.

"Hotel staff were great too eventually passing round crisps and Maltesers! Nae promised breakfast though, and limited blankets.

"We put eight chairs together to form a bed. If there was a plan it wasn't very well executed but I can’t fault those that did help."

Gareth Bevan, managing director of Aviemore Resort, said: “This is a devastating situation for everyone affected, and our thoughts are with residents and businesses who are affected.

"The Cairngorms is our home, and we'll keep supporting the local community and emergency services in any way we can over the coming days, providing a safe place to stay while this is brought under control."

Highland Council says it is working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to take "every step possible to manage the situation".

David Haas, the council's emergency planning lead for the multi-agency response team, says there are plans in place to "cope with all eventualities".

"Wildfires are very unpredictable, they're an act of nature. We are not in control of nature," he tells the BBC.

"We very grateful to Aviemore Highland Resort for provide their facilities as a reception centre.

"That’s what has been delivered to protect the public and give a place of safety for residents displaced."

George Hobbins, from Hamilton, has been at Aviemore Resort hotel since last night after his campsite was evacuated.

The 73-year-old says campers were initially told it was safe to remain on the site after the wildfire smoke was spotted.

"We could see the smoke and have since found that the local houses were told to evacuate at 15:00, but the campsite was forgotten about until 20:00," he tells BBC Scotland.

"The mountain rescue people were very good, they shuttled us up to the resort here."

But Hobbins criticises Highland Council for a lack of emergency bedding, which he says the hotel was unable to provide.

"We all slept on chairs last night, there were families all over the place, he adds.

“I'm disappointed in the council, they had no contingency plan for this event happening.”

The RSPB, which runs the nearby Loch Garten nature reserve, says approximately 300 hectares of land have been burned so far.

The charity says 27 of its staff and volunteers were tackling the blaze on Wednesday, using equipment including all-terrain vehicles with water bowsers, backpack hoses and shovels.

It adds that there is currently no helicopter support available for fighting the fire, saying it believes they have all been deployed to wildfires south of the border.

Cairngorms National Park Authority says firefighters have been working with landowners to contain the incident and create fire breaks, with high winds causing the fire to spread across areas of trees and woodland.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “The ongoing incident near Ryvoan Bothy is deeply concerning, and we are grateful to all those who are working to tackle the fire.

"We would echo the advice of SFRS to avoid the area while firefighters and partners work to bring this blaze under control."

The fire comes during a spell of warm dry weather in Scotland.

Temperatures reached 28C on Wednesday around Fort William, with very dry weather forecast for the rest of the week especially in central and western areas.

The Met Office released a report on the UK's climate, which says that weather once considered extreme is becoming the "new normal".

It shows the hottest day of the year in the south of England is now typically 4.5C warmer than it was in 1961-1990.

The scientists say that the country's climate is "on the move" as northern areas of Britain now see warmer temperatures that used to only affect southern England.

Cairngorms fire appears to be spreading eastpublished at 13:32 BST

13:32 BST

By Alex Murray

The latest data from Nasa's FIRMS satellite-based heat sensing platform - captured at 10:47 this morning - suggests the Cairngorms wildfire may be moving eastwards.

Image source, NASA FIRMS

The red blocks represent heat anomalies detected in the last three hours, while the yellow ones were six to 12 hours ago.

Each of the blocks covers a 1km square area which gives an idea how the fire is spreading.

BBC Your Voice

Image source, Raonaid

Raonaid, from Aberdeenshire, was at Loch Morlich beach when the fire broke out yesterday.

He sent photos of the smoke above the beach to BBC Your Voice.

"Every thing carried on as normal whilst smoke filled the air, concealing much of the Cairngorm vista, and sirens regularly sped past," he said.

Image source, Raonaid

The RSPB captured these images of firefighters battling the blaze in the Cairngorms.

Image source, RSPB

Image source, RSPB

Image source, RSPB

Image source, RSPB

Image source, RSPB

Image source, 57North Adventures

Craig from 57North Adventures said: "We run mountain bike trips and was in the middle of one, staying at Badaguish outdoor centre, when we were evacuated from our campsite around 10:30pm.

"We grabbed our kit and extra tents then moved to a new location to wild camp for the night.

"Currently we are being told we can’t return to the site so will be looking for another place to stay."

Image source, Jim Hayton

Jim Hayton took this photo of the smoke from Loch Garten when the fire broke out.

Have you been affected by the wildfires in the Cairngorms?

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Heatwave conditions are set to continue in many areas of the UK over the next few days.

Some parts are on course to have gone almost a month without any measurable wet weather.

Large swathes of England have so far recorded 0% of the rainfall they would normally expect in July, with Wisley in Surrey having gone 27 consecutive days without any.

Weather forecasters say heatwave conditions are likely to continue for several more days in places, probably reaching a total duration of two weeks in a few locations.

However, most areas in north west Scotland have seen 40% or more of their normal monthly rainfall.

Aultbea (Highland) has already had 95% of its typical rain for July.

Giancarlo Rinaldi
South Scotland reporter in Dumfries

Rally organisers have issued a wildfire risk warning to fans heading to stages in the forests of south-west Scotland this weekend.

The latest round of the RSAC Scottish Rally Championship is being held in Dalbeattie after a prolonged dry spell in the area.

Clerk of the course Jonathan Lord said: "The Forestry and Land Scotland roads are ideal for our purposes but it can be a problem if people don't respect the fire safety code when they go in to watch the event.

"So no smoking in the forest, no barbecues - nothing like that. Please ensure that we have a safe day and everyone goes home happy with a good event."