A LARGE gorse fire engulfed a Flintshire mountain moments before the heavy rain set in this afternoon.
North Wales Fire and Rescue were called to reports of a gorse fire on Brynford Road, in Pen yr Hwylfa, just after 1.30pm today.
One pump from Holywell was in attendance, and firefighters used a hose reel and beaters to tackle the flames.
A spokesman for the fire service said: "The fire covers 200-300 square metres of gorse, which is quite a big fire. If the ground is dry in warmer weather, there is more likelihood of a fire starting."
Firefighters took over 90 minutes to beat the blaze, until the anticipated thunderstorm aided the experts in dampening the ground.
A Brynford resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I was walking the dog over the mountain and the next minute you could see big flames going up in the air.
"The flames were quite high, and the cloud of smoke was big.
"We get a few gorse fires around here, but I don't think this was deliberate. I didn't see anyone there when I walked past. It's just the warm weather."
The Holywell fire crew are still investigating the cause of the fire.
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