Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service doubles firefighters in Mournes for long hot week for wildfires

On Saturday and Sunday over 50 firefighters battled blazes over in the Ballagh Road, Newcastle and Sandbank Road and Hilltown areas of the Mourne Mountains.

The Met Office Daily Weather Extremes website said Armagh reached 19.6C on Sunday.

Hill walkers and locals were requested to avoid the Mournes due to fire risk, heavy smoke and to help support firefighting operations.

DAERA minister Andrew Muir described the wildfires as “soul-destroying”.

But yesterday the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) said they had doubled the number of firefighters in the mountains - and that an early taste of summer weather is expected to see them fight blazes in the Mournes all this week.

A spokesman said: “NIFRS is continuing to tackle wildfires in the Ballagh Road, Newcastle, and Sandbank Road, Hilltown, areas of the Mourne Mountains with approximately 95 Firefighters in attendance at both incidents.

"Firefighting operations are expected to continue across the week and so we are reiterating our appeal for the public to avoid these areas.

“Across the weekend, Firefighters also responded to a number of other smaller wildfires in Belfast, Armagh, Lurgan and Rathfriland.

“As the weather warning for wildfires remains in place, NIFRS is reminding the public to stay vigilant to the risk of fire in the countryside. If you see a fire, call 999 immediately.”

Asked if, aside from the environmental damage to the Mournes, this week is likely to give NI the first taste of summer this year, Senior Met Office Meteorologist Craig Snell affirmed that it would be "a brief taste" of summer.

"Although unfortunately as we head towards the Bank Holiday weekend the weather does look like it's going to go slightly downhill again as we head into the weekend," he told the News Letter.

"It doesn't look drastically like a washout, but it does look like probably the best couple of days coming up will probably be in the middle of this week."

"You are probably looking at that period from Tuesday to Thursday period when you will probably think summer has arrived, but we are not quite there yet - we might be getting ahead of ourselves a little bit with that, although, there is plenty of fine weather in the forecasts."

"Temperatures will gradually climb over the next few days."

Monday had reached 16.7C in Helen's Bay but by Thursday NI will will possibly be "knocking on the door" of 20C - which could persist into Friday, he said.

Temperatures will be slightly cooler along the coast.

"However there's an increasing chance that we'll see some showers develop with brighter interludes across Northern Ireland through the course of the bank holiday weekend, with Monday possibly being the best day of the three."

The Fire Service has urged the public to observe basic rules outdoors during the hot weather:

• Avoid using open fires in the countryside, extinguish cigarettes carefully – and don’t throw them out of car windows.

• Only use barbeques in a suitable areas and never leave them unattended and don’t leave bottles or glass in woodland or grassland.

• If you see a fire in the countryside, call 999 and if you see someone setting fires, report it to the PSNI.

• Be considerate when parking so as not to impede emergency vehicles.