Wexford residents urged to stay indoors as crews battle massive wildfire throughout night

Sunday World

19-05-2025

'We need to take the risk of gorse fires very seriously..The dry conditions following the fine weather really posed a threat'
Five fire crews remain at the scene of a fire on Tara Hill in Gorey, which started at approximately 3.45pm on Sunday afternoon.
The fire crews, from Gorey, Bunclody, Arklow and Carnew are currently keeping the fire under control, with assistance from the landowners Coillte, an Garda Síochána and local farmers through the supply of water tankers, traffic control and the creation of fire breaks in the area.
Furthermore, a drone has been deployed to monitor the overall situation.
Overnight, seven fire crews from across County Wexford as well as Wicklow were on site battling the wildfire.
Wexford County Council are now urging people living or working in the immediate area to remain indoors, close all doors and windows and switch off ventilation systems.
Air quality monitoring, conducted by the Wexford County Council Environment team indicates that while Gorey is being impacted by smoke from the fires, the overall air quality is considered good, but is moving to fair quality. Other towns downwind such as Bunclody and Ferns, are being impacted to a lesser degree and air quality remains good.
Seven fire crews battled the blaze on Tara Hill in Gorey overnight.
As a precautionary measure, vulnerable customers in these areas including elderly adults, those with small babies and those with breathing conditions, should close doors and windows and switch off ventilation systems.
A mist has started to fall in the Tara Hill area which should further assist in localising smoke and help to contain the fire even further.
Seven fire crews battled the blaze on Tara Hill in Gorey overnight.
News in 90 Seconds - May 19th
Speaking on South East Radio, Chief Executive Eddie Taaffe thanked the firefighters for the 'long hours they've put in', as well as Chief Fire Officer Ray Murphy, Senior Officer Eddie Rossiter, and local residents who supplied additional water tankers.
"We've very dry ground conditions there at the moment so we would ask people, it's very tempting to have barbeques out in open areas but be very vigilant because we have exceptional weather conditions at the moment. We might have a few showers today along the East Coast but those dry conditions will probably still prevail over the next number of days,' said Mr Taaffe.
TD Malcolm Byrne also paid tribute to the fire crews, other emergency services and all the locals who bravely battled this dangerous situation. 'We need to take the risk of gorse fires very seriously. The dry conditions following the fine weather really posed a threat,' said Deputy Byrne.