This article is from page 8 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
CLARE fire services have advised people carrying out controlled burn- ing to always notify the service.
This follows a spate of gorse fires in the county, including ones which occurred in the Connolly-Lissycasey area.
Fire services were called out to at- tend two gorse fires in the area on April 19. Five units of the Fire Bri- gade — two from Ennis, two from Ennistymon and one from Kilrush — were called to the scene.
A large area of open ground was on fire but was brought under control by the fire brigade, who were assisted by members of Coullte along with a number of local volunteers. The long spell of dry weather meant the fire spread quickly and this, combined with changing wind directions, made working conditions extremely dif- ficult.
“If people are carrying out con- trolled burning, then it should be in a controlled manner and the Fire Control Centre (999/112) should be notified with the details,” said Tom Burke, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer, adding that just a few items could be burnt.
“While Coillte personnel and our- selves generally work in groups, both to be more effective and also for safety, especially during dusk hours,
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“If members of the public and land- owners are assisting Coillte and the fire service, they should be accom- panying these personnel at all times to ensure proper co-ordination of re- sources to deal with these incidents,” he said.
Meanwhile, environmentalists are counting the costs of more than 20 bog fires that broke out in Gort and Surrounding areas last week. The fires, which fire services described as the most serious in memory, are be- lieved to have been started by land- owners burning gorse on their land.
The worst of the fires took place in Peterswell, between Gort and Loughrea, with every available unit from Gort, Loughrea, Portumna, Athenry and Tuam called in to battle the blaze.
Ecologists are this week begin- ning to assess the level of damage sustained by the bogland areas as a result of the fire. Depending on the severity of the blaze, fire can have a mixed effect on a bogland habitat.
A sustained heavy blaze can cause irreversible damage to the living peat layer of a bog, essentially destroying the entire bog ecosystem.
However, a less serious fire can ac- tually promote new growth on bog land and prevent trees from encroach- ing and taking over bog areas.