Firefighters spent five hours battling a gorse fire in Peel which they say may have been caused by campers.

Crews from Peel, Douglas and Kirk Michael were sent to the blaze, near the town's golf club, shortly after 5pm on Sunday.

The incident is described as 'a major fire across a square kilometre, with 30-foot flames and flying embers'.

Steep terrain leading down to a former railway line and a river between crews and the blaze created problems for the crews, who had to pump water from the river

They then fought their way through six-foot high gorse bushes with electric saws to create a clearing.

It took three hours to surround the blaze, and another two hours to deal with hotspots and flare ups.

Although the Fire and Rescue Service is keeping an open mind on the cause, it says there were obvious signs of camping in the area.