North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has been tackling a fire on Llangollen mountain overnight.

Three fire appliances from Llangollen, Chirk, and Johnstown were mobilised to the incident at 21.58hrs yesterday evening (Friday 22 February), with two crews from Wrexham and Corwen later providing relief in the early hours.

One appliance remains at the scene of the incident whilst the fire is monitored and is allowed to burn out under surveillance.

The fire has affected an area of gorse and bracken extending to approximately 50,000 square metres or 5 hectares.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Richard Fairhead said:  “I urge people to really stop and think about the consequences of gorse fires.

“As we have seen in the past, such fires place tremendous pressure on resources, with our crews being committed for long periods of time trying to bring them under control, which in turn delays firefighters from attending life threatening incidents elsewhere.

“We will not tolerate deliberate grass and mountain fires - not only do they lead to the destruction of the mountainside and wildlife, but they also put lives at risk whilst our fire crews are dealing with needlessly set fires. 

“I would urge members of the public to please come forward if they have any information as to how the fire started or if they witnessed any suspicious activity relating to the incident.

“Fires involving grass, bracken and heather can develop extremely quickly, especially in dry conditions and raised winds, and fires can soon get out of control and spread to neighbouring properties or forestry.

“So if you are out and about, please make sure that any smoking materials are discarded and extinguished properly and that any campfires or barbeques are fully extinguished.

“We’d also ask people to keep well away from the area affected to allow firefighters to monitor the fire, and for their own safety.”

Anyone with information relating to this fire is urged to contact North Wales Police on 101 or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.