Gorse fire covered half a square mile at one stage

The fire near Cloughmills covered half a square mile at one stage.

On Monday night, firefighters tackled a huge forest fire at Clare Wood near Ballycastle.

About 80 officers from counties Antrim, Down and Londonderry were brought in to tackle the blaze, which spread to more than 120 hectares of land before being brought under control.

Station officer Murray Armstrong said that resources were being stretched.

"It's a domino effect in a sense, because as appliances move out from towns around the province, they need to be reinforced by an adjacent station to give cover.

"It's a delicate balancing act but one which we are unfortunately used to in these areas," he said.