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Smoke from the fire was visible across Slievenamon on Thursday. Eoghan Dalton/The Journal
Must ReadWildfires
Slievenamon fire may be extinguished in two days, says Tipperary fire service
The blaze grew worse on Wednesday after a strong wind directed flames towards a Coillte forest.
THE WILDFIRE THAT has been raging across Slievenamon mountain for the past four days may be extinguished by the weekend, according to Tipperary fire service.
Emergency services are unsure how much damage has been caused by the blaze, which began on Monday but grew worse on Wednesday after a change in wind direction pushed the flames into a Coillte forest.
Speaking to The Journal from the foothills of Slievenamon on Thursday afternoon, Carol Kennedy from Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service said that while the fire is expected to “intensify” throughout the afternoon and evening, the cooler overnight conditions are likely to later ease the flames.
“It all depends on the weather, but we’re expecting rain on the weekend which will certainly help, so that will definitely aid the dampening of the fire,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy – who is acting senior assistant chief in Tipperary – got a bird’s-eye view of the scene on Thursday morning when she flew above with the Air Corps.
They are using that information to coordinate where to put crews on the ground, Kennedy said, outlining that some personnel are working from the ground atop the mountain as a way of getting “further ahead” of the flames today.
“We can predict it to some degree, with the direction of wind, and we’re in touch with Met Éireann on that front,” Kennedy added.
Up to 12 farmers were working with emergency services throughout the night to use tractors and tankers to draw water to wet the ground to try and protect against encroaching flames.
Two helicopters have been continuing to collect water from nearby river sources to then pour over the fire.
‘No immediate threat to life’
Kennedy and Tipperary County Council both stressed on Thursday that there is no immediate threat to life from the fire, but cautioned that locals should keep windows and doors closed.
Children, older people, pregnant women, and those with respiratory or heart conditions are also advised to take extra precautions to minimise exposure to smoke.
Farmers and animal owners are encouraged to monitor livestock and, where possible, move animals away from smoke-affected areas.
After the change in wind direction on Wednesday saw the flames intensify in the Coillte woodland, thick smoke made its way into the village of Kilsheelan, which sits in a valley between Slievenamon and the Comeraghs.
Cause unknown
Kennedy said it is too early to determine the cause of the fire or the full extent of the damage caused, including the amount of acres damaged.
Coillte and the emergency services will remain on site until the wildfire has been fully contained.
Pat Neville, communications manager at Coillte, said on Thursday morning the focus at present is to contain the fire in Slievenamon.
However, Neville told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme that wildfires of this nature “start naturally in Ireland”, as he urged the public not to light any fires outdoors.
He said that “extensive” damage will have been caused to wildlife and the local ecosystem already.
A Status Orange high forest fire risk warning remains in effect until noon on Friday, 24 July.
Local TD Michael Murphy told The Journal that the fire has been unlike any other seen by the local area in many people’s lives.
“They’ve never seen anything to the extent of what we’re seeing at the moment, but of course the weather has been unprecedented,” Murphy said.
Kennedy, the senior fire officer, agreed that the severity has been unexpected for emergency crews.
“This is certainly a bigger one for us,” she said, before adding: “We train extensively with wildfires and other types of fires so while it’s longer duration fire and more in distance, we are used to dealing with this kind of fire.”
Murphy paid credit to “heroes” across the community, for their efforts to help with water to quench the flames, and other locals who have kept emergency crews fed at two separate community halls acting as bases of operations at different ends of the mountain.
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