Air Corps asks drone operators to stop flying around wildfires

Privately flown drones have been causing a problem for aerial fire-fighting operations across the country.

The Defence Forces say the Irish Air Corps is continuing to assist ground-based fire fighters in preventing and battling wildfires on both sides of the border.

That includes a gorse fire affecting more than 100 acres on Armagh's Slieve Gullion.

The deployment has proved a huge success, but Air Corps Captain Michael Barcoe has a special request.

He said: "Our crews are operating in mountainous areas, low to the ground where the visibility is reduced down to less than a kilometre in some cases.

"So if we do see a drone operating in the area we just have to return to base and stand down the operation.

"So, what I would ask is that if there is anybody out there who has a drone to refrain from operating it in areas where there are wildfire aerial fire-fighting operations."