A wildfire in the Cairngorms national park has been burning for 11 days, and apparently decided that wasn't dramatic enough, so it started heading toward a village. Police Scotland declared a major incident and evacuated the entire village of Nethy Bridge, because nothing says "summer holiday" like a hastily arranged stay at the Macdonald Aviemore hotel respite centre.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney convened the government's resilience room (SGoRR), which sounds like a place where they keep spare optimism. He thanked first responders and noted that changing winds had "intensified the pace of spread" - which is science-speak for "the fire is now moving faster than a politician fleeing a scandal."

The blaze, which started near Glenmore on July 15, has charred about 6 square kilometers of heather and small trees, and its smoke has drifted 60 miles to Aberdeen, because even the smoke wants to get out of the countryside. More than 500 firefighters have been deployed, along with specialist appliances, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopter water-bombing operations. It's like a military operation, but with more soot and less invading.

Police Scotland Superintendent Judy Hill said the weather over the last 24 hours added "further complexities" - a phrase that probably got a workout in the SGoRR meeting. Residents in nearby Tomintoul were advised to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke, which is the Scottish equivalent of "you might want to stay inside and reconsider your life choices."