Cross-border gorse fire 'worst in 26 years'

Almost 100 firefighters were tasked to a gorse fire near Clogher

A fire service commander has said that a large gorse fire in Clogher, County Tyrone is the worst he has seen in 26 years.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) received a report of a fire near the Ashfield Road at about 12:51 BST on Wednesday.

Fifteen front-line appliances, 97 personnel and a number of specialist vehicles remained at the scene on Thursday afternoon.

The blaze has since spread across the border into County Monaghan.

Western Area Group Commander Patsy Begley told BBC News NI that in his 26 years in the fire service he had "never seen anything like this".

Firefighters were working throughout Thursday to put out the fire

'Significant' incident

David Doherty, NIFRS Area Commander for Western Area Command, said there were a number of specialist appliances and groups working to tackle the blaze.

He described it as a "significant incident"

He added that it is a "very warm, dry day", and the issue is that it is a "very rural, remote fire".

David Doherty is the NIFRS Area Commander for Western Area Command

"So we can only get so far on the tracks and then the personnel are having to walk across very difficult terrain for long distances to actually access the fire.

"Then they have to beat the fire out because there is no facility for us to get water to it," he added.

The NIFRS has advised those who live nearby to keep windows and doors closed due to the smoke.

Elaine Mitchell, BBC News NI's south west reporter in Clogher:

There is a massive emergency response being coordinated from a church in Clogher.

There are about 5,500 acres of Slieve Beagh currently impacted by the fires.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland, Forestry Service, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Community Rescue Service, British Red Cross and other bodies are also in attendance.

Smoke 'can be seen for miles'

Lisa Wallace, an emergency responder for the British Red Cross based in Enniskillen, said they are supporting firefighters by providing refreshments such as tea, coffee, biscuits and soup.

"We came here at about 10 o'clock last night, left at about half 12, because I think it was too dangerous, kind of dark, and then we got the call at six o'clock this morning to come back out again," she said.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Deborah Erskine said the smoke coming from the fire "can be seen for miles".

"It is devastating to see the fire raging, which will undoubtedly cause extensive damage to the natural habitat in the area," she added.

"Whilst it is unknown at present how this fire was started, it is concerning for the local community and sad to see such loss."

The fire service advised those who live nearby to keep windows and doors closed due to the smoke

The blaze comes amid a spell of dry and sunny weather, and weeks after a number of wildfires devastated some beauty spots in Northern Ireland.

At the beginning of April, the NIFRS said it attended 1,112 incidents over a week-long period, 296 of which were wildfires.