FIREFIGHTERS have been praised for their hard work after battling to extinguish a spate of fires across Gwynedd.

A series of grass fires, a burning house, and an electrical fire have kept fire crews across the region occupied during the recent spell of dry and hot weather.

Over the weekend, Dwyfor and Meirionnydd firefighters have tackled grass and gorse fires in Talsarnau, Tywyn, Aberdyfi, Barmouth, Bala, and Llanaber.

Crews were also on hand to battle a “well alight” grass fire in Rhiw, near Pwllheli, which destroyed over 1,000 square metres of gorse/bracken and threatened nearby properties before it was eventually extinguished after several hours.

A smoking electrical box near a sewerage facility in Llandecwyn was also dealt with by firefighters, as well as a major house fire in Llanbedrog on Saturday morning.

Firefighters also dealt with a serious blaze where approximately 15 properties have been evacuated too after the huge mile-long gorse fire broke out on Mynydd Cilgwyn, near Carmel on Monday evening.

The blaze, which started at around 6pm and was fanned by gusts of wind, has been declared “major” by police, who urged the public to avoid the area.

In honour of the brave firefighters who have worked so hard in recent days, MP Liz Saville Roberts called upon the House of Commons to recognise the efforts made by the emergency services in her constituency.

In an Early Day motion on Monday, she stated: “That this House expresses gratitude for all the firefighters who battled grass gorse fires in Talsarnau and Llandecwyn over the last weekend in June 2018; praises firefighters from across Dwyfor Meirionnydd for their endless hard work in the face of mounting pressure on the service; notes the importance of retaining local fire stations in rural communities in order to maintain emergency service cover across the parliamentary constituency; further notes that local knowledge and expertise should be safeguarded in order to protect the public; and expresses concern that the potential loss of local firefighters with detailed knowledge of their patch could lead to a dangerous vacuum, amplifying the danger to life and property.”