Huge Mayo gorse fire results in call for campaign on dangers of discarded cigarette butts

A LOUISBURGH-based councillor has called for an educational campaign to warn of the dangers of gorse fires after a huge fire resulted in the evacuation of homes during the week.

Hundreds of acres of land were burnt and wildlife killed in the Cregganbaun area of Louisburgh when a gorse fire started near Glenkeen on Thursday afternoon and was only brought under control in the early hours of Friday morning.

Some houses had to be evacuated as the first spread dangerously close to them and the loss of property and human life was prevented due to trojan work of local firefighters and farmers who worked through the night to quell the blaze.

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Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Chris Maxwell praised all the people who fought the fire and used agricultural equipment to spray water and dampen the area.

He said that they prevented a total disaster and urged Mayo County Council to consider promoting an educational campaign to prevent these fires from starting in the first place.

Meitheal

“The Meitheal was evident in the community and that is what saved the day. There were a couple of hundred acres that burnt and it started along the main road in Glenkeen and nobody knows how it started. It certainly wasn't farmers who lit it deliberately and the only other thing which is possible is it is a very busy tourism road and someone passing by may have thrown out a cigarette butt. Nobody knows what happened but it happened.

“Maybe there should be an educational campaign done to remind people on holidays not to discard their rubbish or cigarettes because this can happen again and can happen very simply. It is important that Mayo County Council acknowledge that and make people aware of the dangers. We were so lucky that there was no human life loss,” he said.

The Independent Ireland councillor also questioned why the use of a helicopter to gather water to put on the fire was not used in this instance. He said that the fire came very close to a forest and had it caught fire it would burn all the way to Roonagh and would not be stopped.

Seamus Ó Mongáin, Head of the Municipal District, said that the fire service would have the authority to make the decision to call in the services of a helicopter if they felt it was needed.