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Crews called to Tylorstown and Llantysilio grass fires

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Media caption,

Vaughan Jenkins, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said grass fires delayed crews' response to more serious incidents

Fire crews across Wales have been continuing to tackle grass fires following a busy weekend.

South Wales fire service said its crews had been called to 67 grass fires since Friday - 62 of them deliberate.

They include two separate incidents at Tylorstown, Rhondda Cynon Taff, at 05:30 and 05:45 BST on Monday.

The Mid and West service tackled a 40 hectare fire at Gorseinon and another at Kilvey Hill, Swansea.

Police closed the A484 as a result of the Gorseinon fire but the road has now reopened.

The North Wales service was dealing with some small fires.

A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was monitoring the mountain at Llantysilio, Denbighshire, after fire broke out.

Image source, Jamie Jenkins
Image caption,

A fire on Penrhys mountain, Rhondda Cynon Taff covered 20 hectares (50 acres)

He said crews from Llangollen, Denbigh and Wrexham had been there since 15:50 on Sunday.

They were tackling two "flame fronts".

He said one of the fronts was 700m across (2,300ft) and moving in a northerly direction, while the other was 200m (650ft) and moving towards gorse.

The Mid and West service's Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mick Crennell, who also chairs the All Wales Strategic Arson Reduction Board, said: "Arson and deliberate fires can put the lives of emergency services personnel and members of communities at risk.

"It is a crime that can carry heavy fines or even a prison sentence."

He said a new Wales Arson Reduction Strategy had been developed to help "re-focus efforts" and "broaden the responsibility of communities for arson reduction activity".

"Our aim is to encourage a cultural shift across Wales so that arson is seen as socially unacceptable by all," he added.