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(Image: RSPB Scotland/AFP via Getty Images)

Residents have expressed shock and fury after being ordered to flee an out-of-control wildfire raging through the Cairngorms National Park, with some locals told to leave their pets behind as massive clouds of smoke engulfed the region.

More than 500 firefighters have been tackling the blaze for over ten days since it first broke out near Glenmore on July 15. Unpredictable and powerful winds have driven the fire across roughly six square kilometres of heathland, pushing dense plumes of smoke across the Scottish Highlands and as far as Aberdeen, prompting Police Scotland to declare a major incident.

In the village of Glenmore, resident Duncan Ferguson described the terrifying moment police officers knocked on his door and instructed people to leave immediately without their animals.

(Image: RSPB Scotland/AFP via Getty Images)

He warned that the situation could deteriorate rapidly if the flames spread deeper into the regeneration area of the historic Caledonian pine forest, which contains vast amounts of dry wood and vegetation.

Local leaders have voiced growing frustration with the official response. Sandy McCook, chairman of the Nethy Bridge and Vicinity Community Council, described the towering wall of smoke as apocalyptic and criticized government officials for previously declaring the situation contained.

He questioned why hundreds of emergency personnel were still fighting an out-of-control inferno more than a week after authorities assured the public they had sufficient resources.

(Image: RSPB Scotland/PA Wire)

In response to the mounting crisis, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has established firebreaks around nearby villages and issued an urgent plea for heavy machinery, asking operators with equipment such as bulldozers to report to Nethy Bridge Village Hall.

Helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, and specialist wildfire units continue to operate in the area.

Precautionary evacuations have taken place north-west of Dorback Lodge, with displaced residents directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort. Meanwhile, health advisories remain in effect for surrounding communities including Tomintoul, where people are advised to stay indoors and keep windows closed.

(Image: RSPB Scotland/PA Wire)

First Minister John Swinney chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room to coordinate the response, defending the official handling of the incident by explaining that changing weather conditions had reversed earlier progress.

On Friday, the First Minister told PA: "I would obviously ask people in the region to follow all of the advice that is available and to respect the exclusion zone that’s been put in place.

"This is an incident that we felt was moving in a positive direction earlier this week, but with the change of weather circumstances – which is an illustration of just the scale and difficulty of the situation that we are managing – it has moved in the other direction."

Emergency services continue to urge the public to avoid the National Park while operations remain ongoing.