19 hours ago
Ireland on alert for wildfires as dry hot weather set to continue for weekend
WEATHER WARNING |
Met Eireann forecaster Rebecca Cantwell said it would be dry and warm until the early days of next week
Firefighters tackling a gorse blaze in Ticknick, Dublin, earlier this week. Photo: Damien Storan.
Dublin Fire Brigade units from across Dublin have been fighting the fire at Ticknick Park, Cherrywood which has resulted in smoke drifting across the nearby M50 at certain times.
Crews worked using a combination of hand tools, backpack sprayers and lightweight wildfire hose to fight the fire. In addition a wildfire jeep was deployed to tackle the fire in inaccessible areas.
And with the weather forecast predicting dry conditions and temperatures above 20 degrees for the weekend and into next week, the danger of further gorse fires and wildfires is something the Department of Agriculture is monitoring.
Such fires, particularly on high ground, can spread quickly if they are driven by winds, and fighting them is a challenge due to difficult terrain and a lack of local piped water supplies, meaning fire brigades have to pump their tanks full and transport water to the fire sites.
Met Eireann forecaster Rebecca Cantwell said it would be dry and warm until the early days of next week apart from a few scattered showers on Saturday and Sunday, but said winds would be light, which makes wildfires easier to control.
'Most places will be dry with plenty of sunshine with temperatures in the low to mid 20s, but for Friday those temperatures could reach 26 or 27 degrees in the southeast. This will continue until the early days of next week when it is predicted the temperatures will drop to normal levels for the time of year,' she said.
'The soil moisture deficit in the South and East is now around 50mm, leaving the ground very dry,' Ms Cantwell added.
Gorse fires create smoke pollution and present an immediate danger to the environment and wildlife. They have at times come close to homes leading to the necessity for the Air Corps to be brought in using helicopters carrying water-filled 'bambi buckets' to assist fire brigades in preventing their spread. Such was the case in Howth in July 2021 where a fire burned for more than a week on Howth Hill between Carrickbrack Road and Howth Golf Club.
In July 2022, a helicopter was also used to fight a gorse fire on the Roche's Hill area, also know as Flagstaff Hill/Mullins Hill, on Killiney Hill in south Dublin.
The forestry service Coillte has also deployed helicopters to fight forest fires.
Forest Fire Danger Notices are issued by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine during the main wildfire risk season from March through to September. These notices provide forest owners and land managers with advance warning of high fire risk weather conditions and permit appropriate readiness measures to be taken in advance of fire outbreaks.
'Forest Fire Danger Notices are based on daily Met Eireann Fire Weather Index, European Forest Fire Information System, and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts outputs, with additional processing and analysis by the Department of Agriculture. Fire Danger is monitored daily by the department using these forecasts,' a Department spokesperson said.
'Fire Danger Notices are issued nationally without regional variations, and like other forms of weather warnings, they are colour coded and conform to international practice for these types of warnings. Increasing levels of preparation and vigilance are required as the risk conditions scale from Green through to Red.
'Condition Yellow is the default fire risk condition throughout the main fire season, regardless of weather. Currently there are no plans to issue a Fire Danger Notice given current weather patterns, however this may change as new forecasts become available,' they added.
A nature-based approach has been adopted by some local authorities by placing goats on lands at risk of fire so that they graze on vegetation.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, in partnership with the Old Irish Goat Society, currently has in place the DLR Goat Grazing Project at Killiney Hill and Roches Hill. This initiative uses a trained herd of Old Irish Goats to support wildfire prevention and habitat restoration through conservation grazing.
'The goats are securely fenced and monitored using GPS collars, ensuring they remain within designated grazing areas and are protected from off-leash dogs. Grazing areas are small and rotated periodically, with minimal impact on park users.
'This nature-based approach is part of the DLR Wildfire Management Plan, developed in collaboration with wildfire experts, ecologists, Dublin Fire Brigade, and local communities. Public response has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong support for this environmentally friendly solution that helps safeguard public spaces,' said a DLRCC spokesperson.
A similar scheme has been used by Fingal County Council in Howth.
