Fire on Tyrone mountain extinguished after massive operation

A WILDFIRE on a Tyrone mountain has been extinguished.

Up to 40 firefighters fought the blaze in the Sawel Mountain area in Newtownstewart last night.

There was no access to water and the firefighters had to hit the flames to put them out.

It is believed the fire was started deliberately.

There have been a raft of wildfires across the North in recent days.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters continued to work tirelessly throughout the duration of yesterday evening and into this morning responding to multiple wildfires and other emergency calls across Northern Ireland. Our Regional Control Room received 240 calls yesterday, 27 of the 148 calls mobilised involved wildfires.

“The wildfire in the Bloody Bridge area of the Mourne Mountains has escalated to 8 Fire Appliances with over 50 Firefighters now battling the blaze.

“It is expected that firefighting operations will continue in the Bloody Bridge area across today.

“We are appealing for the public to please stay away from the area and avoid hill walking in the mountains around the Bloody Bridge area. If you live in the Newcastle vicinity please keep your windows and doors closed.

“Both wildfires in the Sawel Mountain area of Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone and on the Carncullagh Road in the Dervock area have now been dealt with.

“Our Firefighters have continued to respond to a number of other emergency incidents across the night including a well-developed kitchen fire that had spread to the attic of a house in Banbridge as well as a large shed fire in Hillsborough in the  early hours of this morning.

“An amber weather warning remains in place for wildfires. Please follow our fire safety advice and stay vigilant to the risk of fire in the countryside. If you see a fire please call 999 immediately.”