Member's statement: Wildfires: Mourne Mountains
Member's statement by Ms Diane Forsythe on .
- MLA
- Ms Diane Forsythe
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 25 March 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Wildfires: Mourne Mountains
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4866232
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Mourne Mountains are one of the most spectacular attractions in Northern Ireland. They are our highest and most dramatic mountain range and are in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), with peaks such as Slieve Donard, Commedagh, Binnian and many more. They are my home countryside in the heart of South Down, and it was devastating yesterday to see them on fire once again. That is the third time in just over a week. At this time of year, the area is very dry, and, when a fire starts, it spreads incredibly fast and is difficult to contain and extinguish. The fires are often started deliberately or are the result of careless behaviour. That is completely unacceptable. They then spread like crazy, and we see from the foot of the mountains the smoke and the huge flames engulfing their sides. The destruction of nature, lands, habitats and the well-managed trails that we all love to walk in our mountains is devastating for us locals to see. We are so grateful for the amazing response of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS). During yesterday's fires on Slieve Binnian, it reported having six fire appliances from Newcastle, Kilkeel, Warrenpoint and Rathfriland at the scene, with the command centre from Lisburn down in Newcastle. On Friday, fighting the wildfire up at the Silent Valley, again, six fire appliances and 49 firefighters from Kilkeel, Warrenpoint, Newcastle, Rathfriland and Newry contained it. I record my sincere thanks to members of the Fire and Rescue Service for putting their lives at risk to keep others safe. I am so grateful that there were no reports of deaths or injuries to the public. In 2021, we saw gorse fires on a horrific scale in the Mournes that destroyed nearly 300 hectares of land. The images are ingrained in our minds, and, years later, the area has not fully recovered. I never want to see that again. I say to anyone out and about who spots fires, please ring 999 immediately, as the fires spread rapidly. If you are out in the countryside, please exercise fire safety. Please extinguish cigarettes, barbecues and other flammable materials properly. Please avoid lighting open fires. Please do not leave glass or bottles behind, and please be considerate when parking, because vehicles that are parked improperly impede our emergency vehicles' access. Please stay safe and respect the countryside, especially our beautiful Mourne Mountains and surrounding nature, which is a huge asset to Northern Ireland, our environment and our tourism industry.
421 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.25 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.99 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:07 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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