Gorse fire breaks out along scenic Mayo drive as public urged to act responsibly
Mayo Fire Service battled the blaze for four hours on lower slopes of Maamtrasna
A gorse fire broke out on the lower slopes of Maamtrasna alongside the Westport to Leenane road on Saturday morning, prompting a rapid response from the Westport fire unit.
Tony Shevlin, Chief Fire Officer with Mayo County Council, confirmed to The Mayo News that the emergency call came in at just before 11 am. "Westport unit attended to a gorse fire along the N59 on Saturday last at 10:58 hrs," he said.
"The fire was generally along the road but, due to exposed windy conditions, it travelled up the hills slightly. It was brought under control very quickly, and we were in attendance at the scene for 4 hours approximately."
Footage of the blaze can be seen on The Mayo News’ Facebook page, showing flames spreading across the hillside vegetation in the windy conditions.
The incident is the latest in a series of gorse fires to affect Mayo in recent years, placing continued pressure on the county's emergency services. Chief Fire Officer Shevlin used the opportunity to appeal to the public to act responsibly in the countryside.
"Gorse, bog and forest fires place an extra burden on our emergency services," he said. "It is important, therefore, that we all do what we can to minimise the number of responses to gorse/forest fires so that we can continue to deliver an efficient and effective service to the community when they call for assistance at a fire, road traffic collision, etc."
He added: "We appeal to all to please act responsibly and avoid illegal burning in the countryside, to ensure BBQs etc are safely extinguished and remain vigilant to the danger of fires at all times."
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has previously warned that arsonists responsible for deliberately starting such fires will face the full rigour of the law. Discarded cigarette butts have also been highlighted as a significant cause of gorse fires in the county.