Gardaí have arrested and charged a man, aged in his 50s, following a reported arson incident which led to a gorse fire in the Loughanoran area of Annagry, Co. Donegal, An Garda Síochána has confirmed.

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon, Monday, May 11, at approximately 12:30pm.

“Gardaí received reports of a man starting a fire outside a property in the area which then spread,” a Garda spokesperson said.

Gardaí and fire services attended the scene. A technical examination of the area was carried out. No injuries were sustained as a result of this incident.

“The man in his 50s was arrested by Gardaí and taken to Milford Garda Station detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.”

The Garda representative added that the man has since been charged in relation to this incident and is due to appear before An Clochán Liath District Court, Co. Donegal, this morning, Tuesday, May 12 at 10:30am.

Orange forest fire warning issued

On a related note, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued an orange forest fire warning yesterday that will be in place until Monday, May 18.

The alert was issued due to “continued Atlantic high pressure dominated weather patterns and low rainfall levels”, the department said on social media yesterday.