Around 100 firefighters battling wildfires in Northern Ireland's Mourne Mountains

Firefighting operations in the Mourne Mountains are expected to "continue across the week", the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) have said.

Firefighters continue to tackle wildfires in the Ballagh Road, Newcastle, and Sandbank Road, Hilltown, areas of the mountains.

There have been about 95 firefighters in attendance at both incidents.

The fire service have reiterated their appeal for the public to avoid these areas.

It added that firefighters responded to a number of other smaller wildfires in Belfast, Armagh, Lurgan and Rathfriland.

"As the weather warning for wildfires remains in place, NIFRS is reminding the public to stay vigilant to the risk of fire in the countryside. If you see a fire, call 999 immediately."

'No consequences' for those causing wildfires

Earlier on Monday, a Mourne Mountain Rescue team co-ordinator said the challenge with recurring wildfires is that "there are no consequences" for those responsible.

"The areas where they started were almost inaccessible to the general public. This happens year after year... and there's no consequences for those that are undertaking these actions," McMullan said.

Stormont's Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir said the impact of the wildfires "is real and significant, with lives potentially at risk, communities in fear and natural habitats destroyed".

Muir added that "rural arson is a crime" and that if anyone has any "information on those deliberately lighting malicious fires in our countryside" they should contact the police.

"But that's not to say the fires in the western Mournes aren't still smouldering," he said.

"Fires like that at this time of the year can continue to burn for quite a period of time.

"They don't just burn on the surface, they also burn into the ground. So it's quite unpredictable in that sense."

McMullan said the fires at the weekend "spread quite quickly with a certain level of ferocity" due to there not being any significant fires in that particular area - so there was a lot of gorse and heather.

"The big risk was that they spread, one of them in particular spread down towards properties along the Coast Road and then in towards Donard Forest in Newcastle."

He said that one of the caravan parks had to be evacuated while people were asked to avoid the area.

Forever Mournes, a partnership aimed at protecting and restoring the mountains, said it was deeply concerned.

"Fires can destroy vast areas of the mountain, leaving visible scars and disrupting the delicate balance of nature," it said in a statement.

"However, the impact on wildlife is immediate and long-term.

"Evidence from previous fires shows that even years later, biodiversity can remain significantly reduced, with dramatic declines in insect populations that are vital to the wider ecosystem.

"The Mournes also provide drinking water for much of Northern Ireland, and livelihoods for farmers and tourism providers which can all be impacted by fires."

A new wildfire action plan, external, published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (Daera) earlier in April set out a coordinated response to what officials describe as a growing threat.

It includes dozens of measures aimed at improving resilience and reducing the frequency and severity of fires.