Majority of 214 wildfires started on purpose, say firefighters

Yahoo

09-04-2025

Most of the 214 wildfires in Northern Ireland in recent days were started deliberately, firefighters have said.
Between Thursday and Tuesday, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) crews tackled blazes in areas including the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Belfast, Newry and Ballygawley.
A large gorse fire in County Tyrone is still being dealt with by firefighters.
About 40 personnel are at the scene of the fire near the Millix Road, north of Ballygawley.
Speaking at the scene, David Doherty from the NIFRS said "we have established that this fire was started deliberately".
Fires in the Mourne Mountains, County Down, have been brought under control, but walkers are being advised to avoid the area until further notice.
Speaking to BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster Programme, NIFRS commander David Harbinson said he was still concerned by the situation.
He said the vegetation was very dry and fires were therefore spreading rapidly.
A gorse fire reported on Divis and Black Mountain in Belfast on Tuesday evening has also been extinguished.
It was among those believed to have been started deliberately.
Twenty-six firefighters tackled the blaze.
At the scene: Catherine Morrison, BBC News NI
Firefighters are continuing to beat down pockets of smoke and heat under the surface of the ground at the fire outside Ballygawley.
Crews came from as far away as north Antrim to deal with the blaze.
At its worst the fire front was 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and was threatening several homes nearby.
The area is a wind farm and damage has been considerable.
There is peat bog here too which traps the heat, making things more difficult for firefighters, and there are nesting birds and other wildlife which have been badly affected.
They are still assessing the area affected but the fire service believes it to be about 100 acres.
They also believe the fire was started deliberately.
Earlier in the week, Sinn Féin MP for South Down Chris Hazzard called for a review of the law relating to burning in Northern Ireland.
The law states that burning of vegetation such as heather, gorse (whin) or fern may only be carried out between 1 September and 14 April.
Before any prescribed burning in Northern Ireland, those involved are advised to alert NIFRS headquarters to discuss the details.
People who manage land may burn gorse in a controlled manner to clear land for other purposes, and burn heather to encourage new shoots that are more palatable to game birds. But this month's high temperatures and long dry spell have led to good conditions for wildfires to spread.
From 2020 to 2024, there were no prosecutions at courts for the offence "burning whins in closed season", but the setting of gorse fires more generally can be prosecuted as arson.
The Department of Justice does not keep records on the circumstances of arson prosecutions, for example whether someone was prosecuted for arson because they lit a gorse fire.
In the Republic of Ireland, for comparison, the law states growing vegetation cannot be burnt between 1 March and 31 August of any given year.
The controlled burning of lands is allowed in certain circumstance between 1 September and 28 February.
Gardaí (police) and the fire service must be consulted before any burning.
A number of wildfires have ravaged the landscape in the Mourne Mountains including at Slieve Bearnagh, Slieve Binnian and Bloody Bridge.
A major incident was declared at the weekend when a large wildfire broke out near the Mournes, leading to homes being evacuated.
That blaze is being treated as arson.
There have been 147 fires across the mountains since Thursday night.
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