Mayo councillors call for fire danger signage along Greenway

MAYO County Council have been urged to erect signs along parts of the Greenway which travel through commonage to warn users of the dangers of gorse fires.

A number of gorse fires have been reported around Mayo in recent weeks and while the majority have been small and quickly dealt with, a number have caused extensive damage.

Earlier this month, the Achill IFA Commonage Fire Watch Team called for an immediate and coordinated action from local and national authorities after a sharp rise in dangerous roadside fires. They called for highly visible fire risk signs on the main route to and across Achill Island to be erected to remind people of the dangers discarded cigarettes and other items can have.

The matter was raised at the monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District where local councillors called on Mayo County Council to support the farmers and landowners and erect the signs.

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Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara said that much of the Greenway on Achill Island passes through commonage and called for signs to be erected along it.

“Mayo County Council need to row in behind this and a fire action plan in commonage areas and where the greenways are running in the event of a fire,” he said adding that the damage to commonage affects farmer's payments.

“On a good day you will have hundreds of people on the Greenway going through these areas and there needs to be alerts to alert people. Not only does the fire damage the environment but it affects people's livelihood.

“All the commonage that was damaged was deducted from farming payments and I was involved in a lot of those appeals for farmers two years ago. Already we had six or seven of those fires this year and I think Mayo County Council needs to get involved more with more signage along our greenways to make people aware of the dangers of fire and what can happen,” he said.

Louisburgh-based councillor Chris Maxwell also called on the council to erect signage to remind visitors of the potential dangers. He said that a gorse fire in Louisburgh earlier this year had threatened homes and the issue needs to be addressed.

“These fires have done a lot of damage but thankfully no one was injured but people had to be evacuated from their homes. It is a very good idea that funding should be got to get signs to warn tourists of the potential dangers of throwing out waste or cigarette butts which can start these fires. We know they can start in seconds and the damage they do is unbelievable," he said.

Joanne Grehan, Director of Services with Mayo County Council said they will look at the idea of erecting signs but Cllr McNamara said the matter was urgent and needs to be addressed. He added that without the fire service in Achill, there would be serious problems to deal with.

The local councillors were also informed that the gorse fires in Ballycroy which destroyed a walkway are being investigated by An Garda Siochána.