Crews are continuing to tackle wildfires across the region and fire officers are renewing their appeals to take extra care.

Firefighters are in attendance at the following grass / gorse fires:

Mynydd Cilgwyn, Carmel near Caernarfon - five crews and an off road vehicle in attendance.

Braichmelyn near Bethesda - three appliances and one off road vehicle in attendance at the forestry fire.

Pentre Halkyn, Holywell - two crews and one off road vehicle are in attendance at a fire involving grass near after receiving a call at 15.05hrs today.

Bangor Mountain – two crews are in attendance following initial call at 14.06hrs today

Pwllheli – two crews and two off road vehicles in attendance following the initial call at 08.27hrs this morning

Talsarnau - one crew in attendance following initial call at 12.50hrs today

Kevin Roberts, Senior Fire Safety Manager, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said:

“Our thanks go out to our firefighters who are working hard in challenging and arduous conditions to combat wildfires in the region – and we’re also grateful to the employers of our retained staff who have released them from work to assist us with incidents.

“We’re thankful for the support we’ve received from our communities and ask people to keep well away from the incident areas - both for their own safety and to allow firefighters to tackle the fires effectively. If you live in an area affected, please ensure doors and windows remain closed.

“It is exceptionally hot and this weather looks set to continue - so it’s important that everybody takes extra care when they are out and about in the countryside to help reduce the risk of fire.

“In these dry conditions, fires involving grass, bracken and heather can develop extremely quickly, especially in raised winds, and fires can soon get out of control and spread to neighbouring properties or forestry, with the need for us then to attend to extinguish them.

“Therefore I’d like to reiterate our important advice on avoiding fires like this - it is more important than ever in these conditions to make sure that any smoking materials are discarded and extinguished properly. If you are out camping, again make sure that campfires or barbeques are fully extinguished. Better still, avoid open fires altogether in this dry period.

“These fires place tremendous pressure on our resources, with firefighters tied up for a considerable length of time working to bring them under control. We are managing fire cover attending other incidents as well as these grass and gorse fires. Quite often grass and gorse fires also happen in areas where access is extremely difficult and water supply is limited.

“Remember - setting fires is a criminal offence and we are actively working alongside North Wales Police to combat deliberate incidents – those found to be responsible will be prosecuted.

“Anyone with information on such crimes is advised to anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”