by Q Radio News
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is currently battling a grassland fire in Castlewellan.
Crews were called to the scene close to Happy Valley car park on he Trassey Road, at around 11.33am.
There are currently six fire appliances with around 46 firefighters at the scene, including Specialist Wildfire Tactical advisors and the HIgh Volume Pump is on route.
NIFRS are being assisted by representatives from other support services, Forestry service, and Skywatch, to manage this incident.
It is anticipated that NIFRS will be committed throughout today.
A spokesperson for the fire service says, "Since Friday morning NIFRS has responded to 448 incidents across Northern Ireland, 171 of these have involved grass and wildfire.
"This has been an exceptionally busy Spring period for fire crews who have worked hard in tough conditions to extinguish these wildfires.
"Due to the recent hot weather, grass and gorse is extremely dry and NIFRS would appeal to members of the public not to light small fires or disposable barbecues as these can lead to significant wildfire incidents and damage to the countryside."
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