Teenager arrested on suspicion of arson after gorse fire in west Belfast

By Q Radio News

A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a gorse fire broke out in west Belfast last night.

The blaze was reported at around 9:20pm in the Upper Cavehill Road area of the city.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service are continuing to work to make the area safe again.

The teenage boy is currently assisting police with their enquiries.

Chief Inspector Fox said:

“Lighting uncontrolled gorse fires is highly irresponsible and has the potential to cause widespread damage to the environment and harm to wildlife, as well as threatening homes, farms and the people living in those areas.

“The unpredictability of fire can also mean that those causing them may be putting their own lives at risk as well as the lives of the fire service crew and other emergency services tasked to deal with them.

“Police will be proactive in robustly investigating such reports and would urge landowners and members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to Police through 101, online or in an emergency 999.”