[/caption] Councillor Clarke continued, “We are barely into spring and already mindless arsonists have made their presence felt. A tract of land was recently burnt in the Murlough Nature Reserve which is extremely damaging to what is a fragile eco system and home to many animals. “The emergency services, particularly local fire crews, should be commended in the professionalism they display when dealing with these incidents. However, malicious fires place a massive strain on very limited resources and as we approach the summer I would urge people to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the PSNI. “The damage caused by gorse fires has a lasting impact and areas of outstanding natural beauty can take years to recover.”]]>