A fire which ravaged a beauty spot in Northern Ireland yesterday may have been started deliberately.
The blaze at Slieve Gullion mountain in south Armagh damaged an area equivalent to three football pitches and the fire service believes it may have been arson.
Crew from across the country battled with the massive fire in the mountainside forest for hours yesterday.
Jim McCallum from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said: "There are suspicions that the fire may have been started deliberately. The fire started very suddenly and we have our suspicions."
He said Forestry Service officials had visited the area at around midday and found no sign of a blaze, then returned to the scene 15 minutes later to be confronted by substantial flames.
Up to 100 crew members were on the mountain near Meigh where a tree plantation was burning.
A total of 17 appliances were brought in to control flames as they spread across an area of 200,000 sq metres.
A police helicopter was used to identify the centre of the fire. Mr McCallum added: "The fire spread into the forested area and affected a number of trees. It covered about 40 acres, 30 of which were forested and 10 full of undergrowth.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also revealed it received more than 450 calls during a 24-hour period yesterday.