Firefighters Respond to Large Forest Fire in County Londonderry
Firefighters are currently addressing a significant blaze in a forest located in County Londonderry. This incident follows the issuance of a wildfire warning across Northern Ireland due to prevailing dry weather conditions.
Mourne Mountains Wildfires Now Under Control
Over the weekend, substantial fires erupted in the Mourne Mountains in County Down, with several smaller fires reported in other locations. After five days of firefighting efforts, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) announced that the fires in the Mournes are now under control. However, they continue to combat the blaze at Loughermore Forest in Dungiven.
The Loughermore Forest fire began late on Wednesday evening, prompting a response involving 49 firefighters. NIFRS Western area commander David Doherty reported that fire crews temporarily withdrew overnight for safety reasons.
"We are using a drone team to ascertain the scale of the fire, there are several large fire fronts on this fire,"
he told North West Today.
"It is too early to say but in our experience this will be a fairly protracted incident."
Commander Doherty also noted that the terrain prevents fire appliances from approaching close enough to pump water directly onto the fire, requiring firefighters to extinguish the flames manually using shovels.
Local residents have been advised to keep windows and doors closed and to avoid the affected area for safety reasons.
Wildfires in the Mourne Mountains
Wildfires had been burning in the Mourne Mountains for several days. In an update on Thursday morning, NIFRS stated that, except for one fire requiring a water pump, teams are no longer actively fighting the blazes in the Mournes.
Vincent McAlinden, a local resident who lives and works in the area, highlighted the impact of the fires on both grazing land and recreational areas.
"There's thousands of hectares have now been incinerated and that's devastating,"
he told Good Morning Ulster.
McAlinden, who serves as a Mourne Mountains West Trustee and Conservationist, added that determining the origins of the fires is challenging.
"It's impossible to know how the fires are starting,"
he said.
"We've asked a few times in terms of fire forensics, but it's just impossible.
Unless you're there at that time and you see a person burning stuff."
An NIFRS spokesperson reported that at the peak of the wildfire at Ballagh Road in the Mournes, more than 80 firefighters were involved in efforts to control the fire, which expanded to cover approximately 1,000 hectares.
"The cause of the fire is believed to have been deliberate ignition,"
they said.
Official Responses and Investigations
Andrew Muir, the environment minister, dismissed claims that there are no consequences for such actions, emphasizing that arsonists could face imprisonment in some cases. He also stressed the importance of public cooperation to assist authorities in bringing perpetrators to justice.
The minister stated that he has communicated with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), who have issued a statement affirming their commitment to conducting investigations related to the fires.
"They will carry out investigations around this,"
he said.
