FIRE services in Northern Ireland continued to battle against wildfires today, that have blazed since last week.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said that it has had to deal with 146 wildfires since last Thursday.

A major incident was declared over the weekend when a major wildfire broke out near the Mourne Mountains. Authorities said they were treating the fire as arson.

Other wildfires also broke out in Bloody Bridge, Silent Valley and Ben Crom areas of Newcastle and in Dervock in Co Antrim.

Danny Ard of the NIFRS said the service had received around 1,000 calls since last Thursday of which 146 were reporting wildfires.

He said: “It’s been quite pressured for us and challenging,” adding that “a significant number” of the wildfires were set deliberately.

“When you say deliberate in nature that can also be deliberate actions that have led to a fire where perhaps it is somebody who hasn’t fully thought through what it is they’re doing in terms of countryside safety,” Mr Ard said.

Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir said: “People lighting these fires may be putting their own and others’ lives at risk including the fire service personnel and other emergency services tasked to deal with them.”