Firefighters' 24-hour battle to contain hillside blaze

FIRE crews have been at the scene of a huge mountain fire above a North Wales resort for more than 24 hours.

- By STEVE BAGNALL

The blaze at Cwm Mountain, near Llandudno, broke out at 1pm on Tuesday with North Wales Fire & Rescue Service crews still at the scene yesterday to ensure it remained contained.

At its height there were 10 fire engines and crews from across North Wales at the scene as well as two wildfire units deployed from Abergele.

There were seven units at the scene yesterday morning and there was a presence maintained at the scene throughout much of the day.

The fire service is urging the public to stay away from the scene as firefighters continue to tackle hotspots. However there were reassurances it was "unlikely" the blaze would spread any further. The cause of the blaze, which spread over a huge expanse of mountainside, has yet to be confirmed.

In a statement issued yesterday morning, the fire service said: "Our crews have been battling this fire overnight and remain in attendance this morning. There are currently four pumps, two wildfire units and a narrow access vehicle on scene.

"Firefighters are working to dampen down hotspots and we anticipate maintaining a presence in the area for some time.