The fire service in Northern Ireland has spent £8 million on battling gorse fires this year, according to new figures.
The highest expenditure was in the Mournes area and West Tyrone, where deliberately set fires raged for several days last month.
The information was released by the minister responsible for the fire service, Edwin Poots.
The cost of battling deliberately lit fires in the past three financial years is more than £28 million.
At one stage during the first bank holiday weekend in May, the fire service said it was receiving a call every 45 seconds, the busiest period in its history.
Land in the Mournes, Ballycastle and Gortin in County Tyrone was worst affected with hundreds of acres badly burned.
In total, the fire service attended 3,177 gorse fires in Northern Ireland between January 1st and June 12th.
For the last three financial years, the total number of deliberately set fires is 10,923.
The information was obtained from a combination of Assembly answers to questions by Sinn Féin MLA Willie Clarke and DUP MLA Peter Weir.
Mr Weir said: “These figures show that the cost of dealing with deliberately started fires is a big drain on the Fire and Rescue Service budget. That in excess of £28 million of taxpayers money has to be spent attending to these incidents is a cause for concern.
“Over recent times we have seen an increase in the number of deliberately started gorse fires and this is reflected in the figures, with a large increase of almost £2.5 million in the 10/11 figure from the previous year.”
He added: “Deliberately started fires cause enormous environmental damage and pose a serious risk to the public. It is absolutely essential that fires of this nature do not occur.
“It is hard for people to comprehend just what motivates the people who go out of their way to start these fires, but we now have solid proof of the cost of their wanton vandalism and callous disregard for public safety.”
PA