This article is from page 4 of the 2013-04-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
CLARE’S fire fighters fought back a fire within feet of a family home, and kept multiple outhouses and sheds from burning to the ground during a week of unprecedented numbers of “wild land fires”.
There were up to 50 fires in bog lands, forestry and open ground since last Wednesday, stretching the 77 personnel of the county’s fire service to capacity.
Some of the fires took up to eight hours to get under control.
Fire chief Adrian Kelly described the cause of the fires as “hand of man”, explaining, “It is very difficult to see how they started naturally.”
The weather was not condusive to fires starting on their own, with many starting during night hours, he told The Clare People .
Early estimations set the cost of the call outs at more than € 30,000.
There were as many as 30 call outs to gorse fires in Clare during the last weekend alone – 12 on Friday, six on Saturday and another half a dozen on Sunday.
Fire Brigades from Ennis, Shannon, Killaloe, Kilrush, Ennistymon, Kilkee and Scariff have attended fires this week in areas including Shannon, Doonass, Coore, Twomilegate, Ennis, Cahermurphy, Doonbeg, Ogonnelloe, Connolly, Doolin, Tulla, Portroe, Kilmaley, Whitegate, Ballycuggeran, Doora, Killaloe, Ballymacurtaun, Booltiagh and Crusheen. On Wednesday night, every available fire fighter in the county was deployed as a result of gorse and forestry fires.
During the week-long inferno people lost property and livelihoods in the form of burnt down forestry, to numerous blazes.
Angela Naughton, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer, warned that life and property were put at risk by the fires.
“The highest risk period for quickly spreading fires occurs between March and June, when ground vegetation is dead and dry following the winter period. Fires have spread quickly this week due to the dry vegetation, low humidity and strong easterly winds which fed the fires,” she said.
“We would like to remind landowners that it is an offence under the Wildlife Act to burn growing vegetation between March 1 and August 31 in any year, on any land not then cultivated. The sad fact is that if this simple rule was adhered to, many costly and dangerous wildfires would be avoided,” she added.
Landowners burning gorse, scrub, or vegetation must inform the Fire Service at least one day in advance on 999 providing details of the location, time and duration of burning. More and more people are doing this according to Mr Kelly.
The fire chief said that during the last week the fire service was “put to the pin of its collar with so many different fires going on at the same time”.
He said a huge amount of credit must go to the county’s dedicated fire fighters who save numerous properties. The county’s most senior fire service member also advised, “If people see anything suspicious in their area they should contact the Gardaí straight away.”