Cave Hill: Belfast gorse fire 'deliberately ignited'

A gorse fire at Cave Hill in north Belfast is believed to have been started deliberately, the fire and rescue service said.

The blaze, which began on Wednesday evening, has now been extinguished.

Firefighters monitored the fire overnight and assessed it by drone on Thursday morning, with two specialist wildfire officers involved in the operation.

The service had said there was no risk to life or property.

People living nearby had been advised to keep their windows closed and to avoid the area.

A teenage boy in west Belfast has been arrested on suspicion of arson by detectives investigating the blaze.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the fire was reported at about 21:20 BST on Wednesday.

Police said NIFRS are still at the scene.

Chief Inspector Fox said: "Lighting uncontrolled gorse fires is highly irresponsible and has the potential to cause widespread damage to the environment and harm to wildlife, as well as threatening homes, farms and the people living in those areas.

"The unpredictability of fire can also mean that those causing them may be putting their own lives at risk as well as the lives of the fire service personnel and other emergency services tasked to deal with them."

Last month, firefighters battled several gorse fires across Northern Ireland, including large blazes on the Mourne Mountains and Cave Hill.