Anton McNulty
THE Mayo Fire Service was called out 150 times since the start of April to fight gorse and bog fires across the county which have at times stretched the service’s resources beyond its capabilities.
For the last two weeks the smell of burning heather and grass has been a common feature across the county with the fire service called out on a daily basis. While gorse fires are common for this time of year, Seamus Murphy the Fire Officer for Mayo County Council told The Mayo News that this year the fires have lasted longer than normal but he does not believe they were started maliciously.
“From April 1, we have had 150 call-outs in relation to gorse and bog fires and while they are normal for this time of year, the last two weeks have been intense. At stages the fires have stretched our resources beyond our capabilities and we were unable to deal with all fires. With the foliage so dry once a fire starts it gets out of control very rapidly. Whether they are started maliciously or not it is difficult to say for sure but no fires have been brought to the attention of the gardaí,” he said.
While the rain has been a welcome relief, Seamus explained that the vegetation was still dry and encouraged people to exercise extreme caution when dealing with outdoor fires.
Last Friday morning, the main road between Bangor and Belmullet at Attycunnane had to be closed after thick plumes of smoke made it unsafe for motorists. Three units from the Belmullet and Crossmolina Fire Services battled the fire through the night which threatened property, before it was brought under control at 7.30am
The gorse fire started on Thursday evening in bogland in the townland of Attycunnane near Belmullet and was initially not believed to be any danger to any property. However during the night the wind changed direction and the fire moved towards the back of houses and Coyle’s service station on the Bangor Road.
Cllr Gerry Coyle who runs the filling station said the fire was very serious with ‘a lot of worried faces’ but praised the skill and courage of the fire service for tackling the situation.
“The situation was very bad and it came right to the back of my place and other property but the fire service did a massive job. The fire went between two properties but they did a mighty job in containing it and got the better of it at about 7.30am. I got there at about five o’clock and you could really feel the heat of the fire and I never realised how dangerous these fires can be until this moment,” he said.
In Connemara, two helicopters were used to bring flames under control where large tracts of forestry and privately owned land were left destroyed following the outbreak of gorse fires in between Clifden and Letterfrack last Wednesday. Volunteers and staff from the forestry agency Coillte fought several separate blazes this week which swept through land between Clifden and Oughterard.
The fire was eventually brought under control on Friday but not before destroying hundreds of acres of mountain and forestry. Mary Lacey of Connemara IFA told The Mayo News that this was the worst fire you remembers since the 1980’s and feels it will cause more hardship for farmers.
“Sheep were due to be left out on the mountain on May 1 but the mountain is pure black now and there is nothing for the sheep to pick. It will be a month before there is growth again and farmers will have to buy more feed after an already difficult winter. These fires are getting more common and I feel much of the cause is due to too much growth on the hills and sheep not being allowed up during certain times of the year,” she said.
