Firefighters battling wildfire within Cairngorms National Park

Emergency crews have worked through the night tackling a wildfire in the UK's largest national park.

A number of homes and businesses - including campsites - within the Glenmore Forest Park area of Cairngorms National Park have been evacuated as a precaution.

Cairngorm Mountain Resort also advised on Thursday morning it would not be opening due to Police Scotland road closures and urged visitors to stay away.

The wildfire started in heathland at Ryvoan Bothy, near Nethy Bridge, late on Wednesday morning.

RSPB Scotland said it has since burned through around 300 hectares and helicopter support is "urgently" required.

A spokesperson said: "We have no helicopter support, as we believe they are all deployed to England and Wales fighting wildfires down there.

"This is critical and we need it urgently to bring the fire under control."

There have been no reports of any casualties.

Multiple appliances remain at the scene as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) continues to work with its partners, landowners and local authorities to extinguish the flames.

Ian McMeekin, head of prevention at SFRS, said it is too early to determine what may have caused the fire.

A "very high risk of wildfire" warning is currently in place for central Highlands, southern and eastern Scotland.

A Clackmannanshire family had been enjoying a getaway at Glenmore Campsite when the situation turned sour.

The mother, Deborah, told Sky News they could see the smoke from Loch Morlich late Wednesday afternoon, but "it seemed so far away".

By 8.15pm, the road outside the campsite had been closed off and by the time they walked back to their camper van the smoke was "a lot worse".

Deborah said: "We decided to pack up and were just about to leave when they came round and were evacuating everyone from the site.

"It got scary very quickly - emergency workers and vehicles on the campsite and people running around packing up. My four-year-old was in tears and scared by the situation.

"The smoke was over our heads by about 8.50pm."

The family has since returned home.

Kevin Jolly, also from Clackmannanshire, was enjoying a family trip before being told to evacuate from Glenmore Campsite.

He told Sky News: "We were told to grab valuables and leave everything else.

"We were told to meet at the Macdonald hotel in Aviemore, where they provided tea, coffee and blankets, and let people sleep in the hall. They also put the cinema on for the kids.

"The police told us to go home this morning - and we might be able to collect our tent and belongings in a couple of days.

"Some people left their cars and mountain rescue took them to the hotel. Now they are stranded and can't get back for cars."

Duncan Ferguson, who lives in Glenmore and is an operations manager at Spey Fishery Board, said police came to his house during the afternoon, telling residents to "leave your pets and go".

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SFRS group commander Raymond King said: "While we want people to enjoy the good weather, we ask that anyone in the Cairngorms National Park near to Aviemore and Glenmore avoid the area."

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

Cairngorms National Park - established in 2003 and the largest in the UK - is home to around 18,000 people and welcomes about two million visitors a year.

It covers parts of the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus and Perthshire.

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