Slieve Donard firefighter 'blown away' by picture response

When Hayley Agnew's fire service pager went off just after 09:15 BST on Friday morning, she could not have predicted what a blur the next few days would be.

The 22-year-old on-call firefighter was among the 100 or so who were called out to battle a gorse fire in the Mourne Mountains.

It would take them three days to bring it under control, with 500 to 600 acres of land being scorched in the process.

The dramatic images of the blaze, ravaging across the slopes of Northern Ireland's highest mountain Slieve Donard, spread far and wide - but one picture in particular came to define the ceaseless efforts of those battling to stop it.

That image was of Hayley - clasping her forehead, face scrunched against the heat - taken by photographer Charles McQuillan for the photo agency Getty Images.

The picture was quickly taken up by newspapers, broadcasters and social media - a response that has left Ms Agnew "blown away, entirely", even if she has since been brought back to reality.

"You had that absolutely mental weekend, and then half seven [on Monday] you're back to normal life."

Ms Agnew said she found out about the picture from her firefighter colleagues

Ms Agnew, who works as a postwoman in her day job, said her friends and family thought the photo was "great" but that it had left her "freaking out".

The fire, which the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) believes was started deliberately, required a three-day multi-agency effort to bring under control - and she was keen to point out the massive team effort that went into fighting it.

"I wasn't the only person out there beating that fire out," she said.

"There was over 100 of us out there - so the credit goes to them. I feel like all the attention has been put on me, and it was such a team effort."

She added: "It's crazy how it has just taken off. I never would have thought for a second."

'It burns the face off you'

On the challenges of battling the fire, Ms Agnew explained little water was used - with the main method being getting up close to the flames and using a fire beater or shovel to put them out.

"Smoke is bad, but you sort of position yourself - wherever the wind is blowing the smoke, you stand behind it. When you are up close at a fire, it burns the face off of you," she said.

"[You have a] gorgeous day, you're in a full fire kit, you've got the heat of the sun, and you've got the heat of the fire. It really takes it out of you."

Hayley Agnew has been a firefighter for about two years

On the popularity of the photograph, she said she became aware of it after heading out to a different fire on Sunday morning.

"I was aware the photo was taken, yeah, I wasn't aware of how dramatic it looked!

"The boys in the station were like: 'Have you seen this photo of you on Instagram?'

"I was like, 'what photo?' And they said: 'Look at the cut of you in that!'

"I thought 'oh no, that's so embarrassing!' But, yeah, I didn't find out until about a day later."

While the whole experience may have been unexpected, Ms Agnew hopes it might show girls and other women that it is possible to get into firefighting.

"If it's the job you want to do then go for it, it's one of the most rewarding jobs," she said.

"You work with the public, and you see people at their lowest, at their highest. You're there supporting them and that community and person.

"I like the idea of inspiring younger girls to go for the job. I know when I was growing up it wasn't a sort of thing for women to be in these jobs, and I feel like now, I want little girls to think 'I can do that'."