Firefighters were called out to deal with a gorse fire in the west of the island.

And with vegetation tinder dry and no forecast for rain any time soon, a warning has gone out about a growing risk of wildfires in the island.

Crews from Peel and Douglas were mobilised at just before 7.40am today (Tuesday) following a 999 call about a gorse/heath fire on the Staarvey Road.

They were faced with approximately 50 by 25 metres of vegetation on fire. Efforts were made to prevent the fire from spreading further. Hose reels, main jets were used to extinguish the fire.

Firefighters were at the scene for about two hours.

Two fire engines and a water bowser were mobilised for the call-out.

A spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service said: ’Vegetation is tinder dry already, and with no rain forecast in the short term, the risk of wildfire continues to increase.

’Wildfires are avoidable, but if such an event were to happen it would put an additional resource burden on our emergency services. All wildfires create problems, but the upland heathlands are particularly vulnerable due to their scale and fuel load.’

They added: ’It is also worth noting that Covid-19 affects the respiratory system and any additional smoke in the environment may exacerbate the symptoms of those suffering from the virus.

’During this extended spell of exceptionally dry weather please do not take any chances.’