33 firefighters subdue wildfire at Sawel mountain south of Park in Co. Derry

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said six fire appliances were dispatched to the scene of a wildfire on the slopes of the distinctive mountain, which straddles Derry and Tyrone and is the highest peak of both counties.

Firefighters have also been fighting fires in County Donegal and throughout the North, most notable in the Bloody Bridge area of the Mournes in Co. Down.

Emergency services have equally been dealing with several smaller gorse fires across the North during the ongoing spell of dry and sunny weather.

The fire service said its Regional Control Room received 240 calls on Monday, 27 of the 148 calls mobilised involved wildfires.

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

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “The gorse fires are damaging our environment and putting significant pressure on our Fire Service which is maintaining normal service delivery while dedicating considerable resources to the wildfires.

“I am grateful to NIFRS for handling the response so effectively and for the tireless efforts of the fire crews who work in extreme circumstances, often in quite remote areas, to bring the fires under control and keep people safe.

“And I know that there are many others across NIFRS who work hard behind the scenes to support the operational response.

"I also want to thank the Police Service of Northern Ireland whose officers have worked closely with NIFRS to put traffic measures in place and have helped residents who had to leave their homes in the affected areas.”

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said: “There is still an ongoing risk of wildfires in place with the current weather conditions, so the need for everyone to take care and respect our countryside is of utmost importance.

"If anyone is going out into nature in the coming days, you must think of the potential consequences of your actions and don’t even think about lighting a fire or BBQ.”