Westport hills ablaze again

BEATING THE FLAMES Fire fighters battling to put out the wildfire at Prospect, Westport, yesterday evening. Picture courtesy of Iris Galloway.

Westport hills ablaze again

Ciara Moynihan

Another large wildfire broke out in the hills close to Westport last night (Tuesday), threatening homes and livestock. Last week, a large fire affected the ‘The Black Hills’ in the Farnaught, Killeenacoff and Cloona areas of Westport.
Yesterday’s fire, which started in the Loughloon area of Westport, quickly spread north-west to Prospect. Fire services from Westport, Castlebar and Ballinrobe were called in, and the fire, which started at around 3pm, was eventually extinguished at around 6am this morning.
Another, separate fire that broke out in the Loughloon area affected forestry there, but it did not spread, thanks to fire trenches that had been dug.
As wildfires continue to rage around the county, Mayo’s Fire Service has been stretched to the limit, responding to near-on 200 blazes over the last ten days in what have been described as tinderbox conditions.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for An Garda SíochΡna has urged people to refrain from lighting fires for any reason, and he issued a reminder that it is illegal to do so.
“There have been a lot of fires across Mayo and we will be investigating every single one of them and looking to bring charges against those starting them,” said the spokesperson. “It is illegal to burn vegetation between April 1 and September 30, and the potential damage fires can do is untold, as nobody can predict how a wildfire will spread. There is a danger to persons, property, wildlife and the environment, and people need to show restraint in relation to lighting fires, which is a very serious matter.”