146 gorse fires dealt with in three days

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it has dealt with 146 gorse fires since midnight on Thursday.

It comes after a major incident was declared at the weekend when a large wildfire broke out near the Mourne Mountains, and led to homes being evacuated. That blaze is being treated as arson.

Firefighters are continuing to tackle a wildfire at Bloody Bridge in Newcastle on Monday morning.

There were also wildfires in the Silent Valley and Ben Crom areas of Newcastle, as well as a wildfire involving forestry in Dervock, County Antrim.

Danny Ard, of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, said since midnight on Thursday the NIFRS received 997 calls, 146 of which were gorse fire-related.

“It’s been quite pressured for us and challenging,” Mr Ard said.

Mr Ard said a “significant number” of wildfires were deliberate.

“When you say deliberate in nature that can also be deliberate actions that have led to a fire where perhaps it is somebody who hasn’t fully thought through what it is they’re doing in terms of countryside safety,” Mr Ard said.

“The idea of the bbq and the idea of the campfire is nice but they haven’t taken the precautions that you’d reasonably expect someone to take.”

A number of homes were evacuated on Saturday after the large wildfire broke out on Sandbank Road.

Speaking to BBC News NI, one resident said: “The police came and shouted ‘police, I need you to evacuate’. That was 3am, so I got myself together and they took me to my other son’s house.

“It was all burning, it was all in flames at that stage, a lot of smoke, a fair bit of smoke. Thankfully the firefighters, all those people, got it all sorted.”

On Sunday, NI Water said Silent Valley Mountain Park would be closed until further notice due to the fires.

The Silent Valley Reservoir had recently reopened its gates to the public after being closed for more than nine weeks because of damage caused by Storm Éowyn.

The fire service urged the public to remain vigilant, but moved to reassure people that “normal service delivery is being maintained”.

Multiple wildfires have been reported in the Mourne Mountains in recent weeks.

Some of them are thought to have been started deliberately.

The minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, has described the blazes as having a devastating impact on the environment and wildlife.