Gorse fires in County Armagh believed to be deliberate

Firefighters have extinguished two gorse fires in County Armagh.

A six-acre blaze in Dromintee was reported to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) at 16:20 BST on Thursday. It was put out by 15:13 on Friday.

Meanwhile, a second blaze at the Fathom Mountain in Cloghoge, near Newry, was reported at 23:21 on Thursday and was put out by 03:23 on Friday.

NIFRS said they believe both fires were started deliberately.

The fire service said 17 fire appliances, specialist vehicles, a water tanker and a command support unit were sent to the fire in Dromintee.

Firefighters used six beaters, six knapsack sprayers, three caf jets and five hose reels to extinguish it.

Meanwhile, two appliances, a command support unit, a water tanker and a specialist vehicle were sent to the blaze in Cloghoge.

Firefighters used four knapsack sprayers, two caf jets, four beaters and a hose reel to extinguish the fire.

The blazes are the latest in a string of gorse fires.

On Monday, firefighters put out a gorse fire near Spelga Dam in the Mourne Mountains.

Last week, a number of fires were dealt with by firefighters on Slieve Binnian.

There were two other blazes in the area, one near Silent Valley and another near Castlewellan, in County Down.

The fire near Castlewellan is believed to have been started deliberately.

Last month, the Natural Hazards Partnership issued an amber warning for wildfires in Northern Ireland.

It said that dry and breezy conditions heightened the risk of a blaze.

Meanwhile, the NIFRS were called to a fire at Marble Arch Road, Florence Court in County Fermanagh on Thursday night.

However, the fire service said that no action was required and firefighters left the scene a short time later.