Landowners urged to refrain from prescribed burning during open season

The Minister’s comments come after a weekend of devastating wildfires, with almost 150 separate fires reported in the Mourne Mountain range and a Major Incident declared by NIFRS.

Mr Muir has described the weekend’s deliberate wildfires as abhorrent and thanked the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and others for their ongoing efforts in difficult conditions.

Minister Muir said: “Firstly I want to thank the tireless work of the first responders in trying to get these fires under control. It is an extremely difficult and unpredictable issue to manage and I am very grateful to the firefighters who are in attendance. The scale of the destruction has been greatly reduced by the preparedness of all agencies involved.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn that fires continue to be deliberately lit in the Mournes. We need to call it what it is - it’s rural arson and it puts lives at risk. It also has a devastating impact on wildlife, flora and fauna, risks livestock, impacts on residents and businesses and causes untold damage. Anyone with information that can bring those responsible for lighting these malicious fires to justice, should bring it immediately to the PSNI or crime stoppers.

“I am also urging landowners to refrain from any prescribed burning in the remaining open season window in order to give our firefighters the best chance to respond to ongoing incidents. We all must play our part in reducing the burden on our emergency services.”

DAERA has been supporting the efforts with NIEA teams on site with specialist All-Terrain Vehicles with portable pumps deployed over the weekend to help manage and contain the fires. NIEA has been part of a multi-agency response to wildfires since 2013 as part of the East Mournes Wildfire Project.

Minister Muir is also urging the public to exercise common sense and take care of our natural environment: “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.”