Mourne Mountains: Firefighters tackle gorse fire near Spelga Dam
Firefighters are tackling a gorse fire near Spelga Dam in the Mourne Mountains. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service (NIFRS) received a report of the blaze at 18:39 BST on Monday. About four acres of gorse was on fire.Twenty-eight firefighters are currently at the scene, with three fire engines, two Land Rovers and a water tanker. Road closures are in place in the Kilkeel Road and Slievenaman Road areas of Hilltown, County Down, police have said.
The blaze is the latest in a string of fires in the area.Last week, a number of fires were dealt with by firefighters on Slieve Binnian.There were two other blazes in the area, one near Silent Valley and another near Castlewellan, in County Down.The fire near Castlewellan is believed to have been started deliberately.The Natural Hazards Partnership issued an amber warning for wildfires in Northern Ireland.It said that dry and breezy conditions heightened the risk of a blaze.
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