Write a commentPolice in South Down are appealing for information following fires at land in Edentrumly Road, Newry and Killowen Road, Rostrevor on Wednesday night, 29 March.
Police received a report of a fire at Edentrumly Road at 9.18pm. The fire was extinguished by the land owner.
At 11.05pm police received a report of a fire on mountain ground at Killowen Road. Police and NIFRS attended and discovered a number of sporadic fires. These fires were extinguished by 1am. The fires are believed to have been started deliberately.
Sergeant Warnock, Kilkeel, said: "It is hard to believe that someone would deliberately want to cause destruction and harm to the local landscape and also livestock and wildlife, not to mention homes. Fire is extremely unpredictable and dangerous and these actions are beyond foolhardy. "We do not want to see a repeat of last year's gorse fires. "I would thank the local community for their vigilance in respect of these fires and ask for their continued support in reporting any activity of this nature to us immediately. "
Anyone with information in relation to these incidents can contact police in Kilkeel on 0845 600 8000 If you prefer to provide information without giving your details you can contact the independent Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.
