Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Wicklow Fire Service

Wicklow Fire Service battling forest fire since early hours at popular hiking spot

The Air Corps have been called to the scene too.

LAST UPDATE | 19 Jul 2022

THE WICKLOW FIRE Service is fighting a forest fire at Crone Woods in the north of the county, a spot frequented regularly by walkers and hikers.

A crew from Bray first responded to the fire at 1am in the early hours of this morning.

Due to the scale of the fire, crews from Greystones and Baltinglass were later mobilised to further support the response, according to Chief Fire Officer Aidan Dempsey.

Coillte, the state agency that owns the forest, also has staff on site.

Dempsey said that the Air Corps are expected at the scene shortly to provide aerial firefighting support, while Coillte has mobilised a private helicopter operator from Galway that has been temporarily delayed due to fog.

Crone Woods is a popular Coillte forest in north Co Wicklow near the Powerscourt House and Gardens.

It’s a starting point for hiking trails in the Wicklow mountains, including the Maulin Mountain Loop and several with views of the Powerscourt Waterfall as well as an access point to the Wicklow Way.

 

In a statement Coillte said that it is too early to determine what caused the fire. 

“Coillte and fire service personnel are currently working to bring a significant forest fire under control at Crone Woods County Wicklow. The fire is affecting areas of forested lands and also the Wicklow Mountains National Park. An Air Corps helicopter is in attendance to assist in the efforts.

It is too early to determine the source of ignition of this fire. There is a National Status Orange Forest Fire Warning in place and Coillte is asking the public to avoid the use of all outdoor fires and other open ignition sources such as barbeques and cigarettes at this time,” the statement said. 

Coillte asked the public using the recreational areas to cooperate with fire safety measures including in parking vehicles so as not to impede access by emergency vehicles.

“Forest fires pose a serious health and safety risk to the public and to people working in the forest sector. They are very difficult to control and put firefighters and forest personnel at great risk in their efforts to extinguish them.

“They cause ecological and environmental damage to wildlife and to protected habitats and species that can take years to recover from,” the statement added.

Yesterday, Ireland experienced its hottest temperature in 135 years – 33 degrees Celsius at 3pm in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

That’s second only to the record of 33.3 measured at Kilkenny Castle in June 1887.

Scorching temperatures have swept across Europe in recent days, bringing with them an increased risk of forest fires that can devastate landscapes and harm animals and people.

Firefighters in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece have battled forest fires that have destroyed thousands of hectares and killed several personnel since the start of the week. 

Although hot weather at this time of year is not surprising, its intensity – seen in the UK’s forecast of 40-degree highs, for instance – is in line with warnings from experts that climate change is amplifying extreme weather events.

The climate crisis, which is unsettling weather patterns, increases the likelihood of extreme weather events like heatwaves, scientists have found.

 As well as influencing their occurrence in the first place, it can make those events longer, more frequent, and more intense with the potential to harm people, animals and the environment.

Met Éireann warned that climate change increased the chance of temperature records being broken.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
10 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liz O'Neill
    Favourite Liz O'Neill
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 10:09 AM

    But how are these fires starting in the first place? The land may be a lot dryer because of the weather conditions, but I don’t think it spontaneously combusts.. Isn’t the real reason carelessness with campfires cigarette ends, or in some cases, deliberate arson? It’s easy to keep up the mantra about climate change, heatwaves, soaring temperatures etc etc but they only contribute they don’t cause the destruction and mayhem.

    145
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute RJ.Fallon
    Favourite RJ.Fallon
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 10:21 AM

    @Liz O’Neill: Super dried vegetation, leaves etc., can actually self-combust if the temp gets high enough.

    57
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lee King Buckett
    Favourite Lee King Buckett
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 10:24 AM

    @Liz O’Neill: In most cases it is just that carelessness or valnalism. In some cases it can be as simple as a piece of broken glass magnifying the sun, if dry enough, forest floors are like tinder boxes.

    84
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liz O'Neill
    Favourite Liz O'Neill
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 10:30 AM

    @RJ.Fallon: I really didn’t know that. I know that a compost bin can get really hot because of the heat generated in the decomposition. There is also a phenomenon whereby the light refracted by a dew drop can ignite dry vegetation (as kids we used to simulate this with a magnifying glass). Hard, though, to get my head round the land just suddenly bursting into flames. Perhaps the mountains should be closed to hikers and tourists? You’d certainly not want to have it combust beside you.

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Billy McNamara
    Favourite Billy McNamara
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 11:11 AM

    @Liz O’Neill: If that happened I’d hazard a guess you’d be able to run to safety.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mario Marini
    Favourite Mario Marini
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 11:51 AM

    I’ve lived in East Africa half my life and even though it regularly gets way way hotter than Ireland, every Summer, and we had 2 Summers, 2 Winters every year in East Africa, I have yet to see a spontaneous fire starting, even in the driest of months. So don’t really believe any of the BS thrown at you as an excuse to cover up a scrub or bush fire, in all likelyhood started either by Farmers or Arsonists deliberately. The maximum temperatures here in ireland cannot even match what we have in Europe and yet you do not see the whole of Europe on fire….

    94
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute CryptoFactor ☘️
    Favourite CryptoFactor ☘️
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 2:39 PM

    @Mario Marini: Different vegetation such as gorse/whins which catch fire easily.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shanonymousti's Hellbound Heart
    Favourite Shanonymousti's Hellbound Heart
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 1:38 PM

    Compost bins and bales of hay can “spontaneously combust” if damp in the centre. There’s usually a load of logs around which could potentially do the same while drying out.

    We will have to wait and see if the fire service can figure out the cause, they’ve got boots on the ground.

    A tragedy though, that place is beautiful

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Cawley
    Favourite Derek Cawley
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 3:38 PM
    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
    Favourite Neuville-Kepler62F
    Report
    Jul 19th 2022, 3:21 PM

    Air Con to cool our homes and Cars
    By burning coal and oil and Gas
    Our Greenhouse planet now hot as Stars
    Ends up scorching all our Ass
    -NK62F

    3
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds