Firefighters tackle gorse blaze

The grassfire in Blaenavon in Gwent burnt for five days.

Firefighters in North Wales battling a large gorse fire near Benllech on Anglesey say the fire could have been started deliberately.

The fire at Mynydd Bodafon broke out at around 1430 BST, but crews did not leave the scene until 2000 BST.

At one point it was around two miles across but fighfighters later reduced it to a half mile area.

Around 20 firefighters were dealing with the incident.

A fire crew from Benllech had earlier been called out early in the morning to deal with a gorse fire on the mountainside, when three-quarters-of-an-acre was alight.

The fire service claimed the blaze could have been started by a discarded cigarette.

However, the emergency service said in the afternoon it was unclear if the initial fire had re-ignited.

The fire follows a serious grass blaze in Blaenavon in the Gwent valleys this week.

The fire burnt for five days week and at its height involved 75 firefighters and forced a road to be closed.

Last November, a fire over three miles of mountainside near Holyhead needed seven fire crews from across Anglesey to bring it under control.