Incredible drone footage has captured wildfires raging in Northern Ireland.
In the clip, captured by Mindaugas Kauneckas, smoke can be seen billowing from the Mourne Mountains in County Downs.
The 35-year-old, who lives in nearby Rostrevor, said he could smell the smoke from his house, so he sent his drone to see how big the blaze was.
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Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service said that 50 firefighters were tackling the inferno.
Mindaugas Kauneckas wanted to “capture the moment” on Saturday (5 Apr), but says he didn’t enjoy filming it.
“It was a windy day, and smoke could be seen because it was going so high up,” Mindaugas told Need To Know.
“I wanted to see how big the fire was, but it was risky flying the drone because of the wind.
“At night time, the sky looked red, and we could smell burning from the town.
“There were emergency cars going non-stop.
“It’s sad to see this happening.
“I didn’t enjoy filming it, but I wanted to document the moment.”
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service issued a statement on their website today (8 Apr) saying that firefighters are still tackling the blaze.
They wrote: “Firefighters continued to work tirelessly throughout the duration of yesterday evening and into this morning responding to multiple wildfires and other emergency calls across Northern Ireland.
“Our Regional Control Room received 240 calls yesterday; 27 of the 148 calls mobilised involved wildfires.
“The wildfire in the Bloody Bridge area of the Mourne Mountains has escalated to eight fire appliances with over 50 firefighters now battling the blaze.
“It is expected that firefighting operations will continue in the Bloody Bridge area across today.
“We are appealing for the public to please stay away from the area and avoid hill walking in the mountains around the Bloody Bridge area.
“If you live in the Newcastle vicinity, please keep your windows and doors closed.
“Both wildfires in the Sawel Mountain area of Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone and on the Carncullagh Road in the Dervock area have now been dealt with.
“An amber weather warning remains in place for wildfires. Please follow our fire safety advice and stay vigilant to the risk of fire in the countryside. If you see a fire, please call 999 immediately.”
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