Plea for common sense after 160 wildfires in NI over weekend

The spate of grass and gorse fires continued on Monday prompting the NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) to appeal for people to act responsibly.

Around 45 firefighters were needed to tackle a major wildfire at the Happy Valley carpark on Castlewellan’s Trassey Rd on Monday morning.

Specialist wildfire tactical advisors were also tasked, along with the Forestry Service, the NI Environment Agency and Sky Watch NI drone operators.

There were other major wildfires including one at Flagstaff forest near Newry – where six appliances and around 45 firefighters were needed to bring it under control – and another at Altarichard forest near Ballymoney where more than 60 firefighters tackled a blaze.

A spokeswoman for NIFRS said: “Since Friday morning the Regional Control Centre has received 910 calls resulting in a response to 396 incidents across Northern Ireland, 161 of these have involved grass and wildfire.

“This has been an exceptionally busy spring period for fire crews who have worked hard in tough conditions to extinguish these wildfires.”

The spokeswoman added: “Due to the recent hot weather, grass and gorse is extremely dry and NIFRS would appeal to members of the public not to light small fires or disposable barbecues as these can lead to significant wildfire incidents and damage to the countryside.

“We would ask members of the public to avoid these areas at present to facilitate the movement of appliances to and from the incidents.”