Slievenamon fire set to burn for days as alert issued for Waterford

Tipperary’s chief fire officer has said the fire on Slievenamon could take days to extinguish. The blaze, in its fifth day on Friday, has proven difficult to access for firefighters due to the local terrain. “It is expected to be a live fire for quite a number of days yet,” said John Shinners. “Mother Nature can work against you ... and it would be really, really great if she gave us a couple of thunderstorms.”A minimum of 16 firefighters have been on site at all times, though numbers can increase as required. He said morale among teams was high. READ MORE“They’re all choosing to kind of stay on site and help with the efforts,” said Shinners. The threat to homes and buildings housing livestock is being monitored. About 700 hectares of mountain habitat and woodland have been damaged. Irish Farmers’ Association leader Francie Gorman, who visited the site on Thursday, said he would be writing to the National Emergency Co-ordination Group to seek a special meeting on wildfire planning. “There are also lessons to be learned here about how the mountain has been managed ... There must be a discussion about how we are managing these areas,” he said.Local farmer Tom Morrissey said that the area of particular concern on Friday was Killusty on the other side of the mountain. “Ground conditions are exceptionally dry at the moment and are similar to continental mainland Europe during the summer season,” he said. A spokeswoman for Tipperary County Council said the fire activity on the south side of Slievenamon has “reduced significantly, with only some localised hot spots remaining”.This location will be monitored to prevent any re-escalation.Fire and Rescue Service crews are concentrating operations on the north-eastern side of the mountain as of 4.45pm on Thursday evening.She also added that the wind direction remains unchanged and is expected to remain in its current position in the short term.Smoke may continue to be noticeable on the eastern side of Slievenamon.The multi-agency response remains in place and continue to make “steady progress” in tackling the wildfire on Slievenamon.The council advises members of the public to continue exercising caution in the vicinity of the mountain and to follow any advice issued by emergency services. In a daily update, Tipperary County Council noted that a change in wind direction late on Thursday and overnight had resulted in increased fire activity on the northeastern section of the mountain. “This area is now the primary focus of firefighting efforts, with intensive operations under way to contain and suppress the fire front. The multiagency response remains fully operational.” Meanwhile, a warning was issued in Co Waterford after a change in wind direction began carrying smoke into the county from a wildfire in Co Tipperary.People with underlying respiratory conditions were advised to take extra precautions.The first signs of the wildfire appeared shortly after 8.45am on Monday when smoke was seen rising just outside Clonmel.A change in wind direction on Wednesday meant the fire spread to the nearby Coillte forest, resulting in a plume of smoke that could be seen as far away as Cashel, Dualla, Ballingarry and Mullinahone. The wind then carried the smoke as far as Co Waterford.A multiagency response involving Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service, Tipperary County Council, Coillte and the Air Corps was supplemented by local farmers in a bid to control the blaze.Meanwhile, on Friday, plumes of smoke were also rising in the Wicklow Mountains more than a week after a fire began in that area, with park rangers monitoring the flames and tackling the flare-ups.Blessington and Bray fire services, a helicopter and “significant manpower” from the National Parks and Wildlife Service were called in from around the State. Ann Fitzpatrick, district conservation officer for Wicklow Mountains National Park, said the fire, which has been burning since last Wednesday, was brought under control last Saturday. But it had “taken off” again on Friday along a 200m-long fire front due to high winds.The fire is spreading towards Glencree and heavy smoke was billowing into the area, she said.The fire has so far destroyed an area of 200 hectares known as the Featherbeds on the county border between Wicklow and Dublin.