Mourne mountains: Firefighters tackle fire near Spelga Dam

There have been a number of fires in the Mournes in the past week

Firefighters are tackling a large gorse fire at Spelga Dam in the Mourne mountains.

The fire service said about 20 acres of gorse was on fire and that the fire front was one mile long.

The fire service said one pump and a land rover were at the scene and they would monitor the fire overnight.

The fire, which broke out shortly after 19:00 BST, is the latest in a string of blazes in the Mournes over the past week.

It follows fires at Spelga and on Hen and Cock mountains on Tuesday evening, as well as a gorse fire in the Bloody Bridge area which firefighters believe was started deliberately.

There were also fires on Cave Hill and Black Mountain in Belfast on Tuesday.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service warned the public of the "devastating impact" of wildfires.

• Latest fire in Mournes believed to be 'deliberate'

• The environmental cost of wildfires

• Warning to NI public over 'devastating' wildfires

It said dealing with the blazes had a draining effect on its resources.