Warning issued as firefighters tackle wildfires in the Mourne Mountains
The public have been asked to avoid the area ⬇️
Firefighters have spent the past two days tackling wildfires in the Mourne Mountains.
Fire crews were first called to the area on Tuesday evening, and have returned today (Wednesday) to tackle what has been described as a 'significant' fire.
Hen Mountain, Cock Mountain and Spelga Dam are believed to be the most affected.
In the latests update the NIFRS said an incident at Ballyedmond is still ongoing, while the blaze on Cock Mountain was dealt with at 4.56pm today.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and the public have been encouraged to avoid the area if possible.
A Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Spokesperson said: "Throughout today Firefighters have responded to a number of wildfires, including two significant ones in the Mourne Mountains.
"At the height of both of these incidents six Appliances and over 30 personnel were in attendance at each incident.
"Our Firefighters have not only worked really hard when responding to these incidents but have also continued to provide cover and respond to incidents across the wider Mournes area.
"These incidents do put an additional strain on our resources and therefore we are asking for the public to support us by not starting fires in the countryside.”
What to do if you spot a fire?
- Report it immediately to the NI Fire & Rescue Service
- Do not attempt to tackle fires that cannot be put out with a bucket of water
- Leave the area as soon as possible
- If you see someone setting fires, report it to the PSNI
Rebecca Allen, Catchment Liaison Officer at NI Water explains why these nature landscapes must be protected.
She said: "NI Water control 24 drinking water catchments supplying water to all of Northern Ireland. While we are working hard to deal with the problem of wildfires, we can assure customers that tap water quality is unaffected and is of a very high quality.
"However, wildfires within these catchments not only pose a terrible risk to all life but can remove the primary layer of vegetation, leaving the burned bare soil exposed to erosion which then makes its way into the reservoirs, from where water is abstracted for treatment to be drinking water.
"This makes raw water especially difficult and more expensive to treat at our facilities to the stringent standards required by the Drinking Water Regulations.
"A significant amount of other work by our water supply colleagues also has to be undertaken at the treatment works to ensure excellent quality drinking water during these times. "Extra water samples have to be collected and analysed, streams from burned areas need isolated, and other remedial measures must be taken like blocking streams to protect reservoirs."
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