Tipperary wildfire spreads to forestry plantation as Coillte appeal to public to stay away

Sarah Slater, Sean Ryan and Vivienne Clarke

Additional resources have been deployed to tackle the ongoing wildfire on Slievenamon in Co Tipperary, which has now entered its fourth day.

It is after a change in wind direction on Wednesday which led to the blaze spreading into a forestry plantation on the mountain.

Extra fire service personnel have also been tasked with assessing properties in areas that could potentially be impacted by the change in the fire’s direction.

The wildfire at Slievenamon has now spread into the adjacent Coillte Forest. Fire and rescue services, supported by Coillte and other support agencies, are concentrating their efforts on this area to contain the fire and prevent any further spread.

At present, there is no immediate threat to life, but residents in the wider area, particularly those located downwind of the fire, are advised to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke in the area.

Farmers and animal owners in the vicinity are urged to bring livestock indoors where possible or move animals away from areas affected by smoke.

One Slievenamon resident said the situation had been “absolutely terrifying” and “horrendous” on one level, but it had been heartening to see the community come together.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today Show presented by Philip Boucher-Hayes, Rebecca Purcell said it had been a shock to see the fire creeping closer to her home, and she never thought she would have to put passports and family photo albums into bags in anticipation of a possible evacuation.

It had been incredible to watch everyone springing into action, she said. “It's just community, that's what it is, you rely on your community, people just self-organised, the farmers self-organised. People had machines just making sure that there were no overhanging trees around their houses; it was just incredible to watch”.

Farmers had organised convoys of slurry tankers to bring water up into the forest to tackle the fires. “They were there all night. We could hear them at 3am, 4am, just in a constant convoy.

“They had an amazing system of kind of one in, one out and they were just all night working on the fire with water.”

Local TD for South Tipperary Michael Murphy said it was a very worrying time for people in Killurney, Killusty and Ballypatrick.

Tipperary County Council said the situation is being continuously monitored by Fire and Rescue Services with ground crews remaining on site and aerial support being deployed where conditions allow.

The council is appealing to the public to stay away from the affected area, avoid non-essential travel on foot, scrambler or by any other vehicle and refrain from operating drones, which can interfere with emergency response and aerial firefighting operations.

"The cooperation of the public is greatly appreciated and remains essential to ensuring the safety of emergency personnel and effectiveness of firefighting operations," the council said.

The council added that personnel have been tasked with assessing properties in areas that could potentially be impacted by the change in the fire's direction.

Aerial support from the Air Corps with water drops from helicopters is also being deployed to a local water source.

"As a precautionary measure, a limited number of residential properties have been identified, and Fire Service personnel are engaging directly with affected residents and property owners to ensure they receive appropriate information and support," the council continued. 

Coillte communications manager Pat Neville is calling on the public not to fly drones or visit the area of Slievenamon where wildfires have been burning for days and spread “significantly” through a Coillte forest on Wednesday night.

Roads in the area are narrow, so access is vital for fire crews, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

“I would appeal to people to stay away," he said. “The roads are narrow up there and steep terrain. So we're asking people to stay away from the area to keep the roads free to allow access for the emergency services and firefighting crews to access the site. Also, we ask people not to fly any drones in the area, as helicopters will again be active today in helping to contain the blaze.

“Unfortunately, it's a very large wildfire, and it's visible from a large area away. It is quite a spectacle, but we would really ask and urge the public not to approach the area at all and to give space and room and particularly access to the firefighting crews and the emergency services to attend to the blaze.”

Neville said that fire-fighting operations on Slievenamon would resume this morning and would continue throughout the day.

The fire, which began on Monday, extended into the adjoining Coillte forest area on Tuesday and “progressed significantly” on Wednesday night “despite the best efforts of crews on the ground and supported by a helicopter. So efforts will again be underway this morning to contain the spread.”

The immediate focus now for the fire service, emergency responders and Coillte staff will be to contain the fire as quickly and as safely as possible, he added.

“We would ask the public if you see a forest fire to call the emergency services immediately on 999 and never approach a forest fire either. They spread very quickly, the smoke gets thick very quickly and it can be very dangerous.”

It is understood the fire was first reported to the emergency services around 8.45am on Monday, with fire tenders from Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir sent to the scene of the blaze. The fire service said it was premature to comment on the cause of the fire.

The mountain, which is 721 metres high, is steeped in folklore and is associated with Fionn mac Cumhaill. A number of wildfires have broken out across the country in the last week, during the dry weather spell.

Ciarán Nugent of the forestry service said that the recent long dry spell had been problematic because high temperatures had dried off any moisture, and as a result vegetation burned more easily and quickly. “Everything is bone dry now, and the resulting fire is bigger.”

It was important to maintain a balance between biodiversity and farming. It was also important for people to behave responsibly in this weather and to follow advice not to light fires and to keep important access roads clear for emergency services.

“If we're out in the countryside now, we need to be mindful of the risks and behave responsibly. Don't bring the barbecue and don't light fires and park responsibly.”