Firefighters dealing with large gorse fire near Glenshane Pass

FIRE crews are dealing with a large gorse fire in the Glenshane Pass area.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue have confirmed that the operation near Dungiven is currently ongoing.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at 4.57am on Wednesday.

Crews from Dungiven, Maghera, Magherafelt, Kilrea, Cookstown and Ballymena Fire Stations have all been tasked to the area, along with and a specialist Command Support Unit.

A NIFRS statement said: “The fire front is approximately 1 mile in length and consists of 5 separate fires.

“As the fires are in a remote location and there is no current risk to life or property, NIFRS is monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action.”

Fire crews across Northern Ireland have been on the alert over the potential for gorse fires during the recent spells of extremely hot and dry weather conditions with temperatures expected to rise as high as 30c in the area.

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