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Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

Gorse fire which was visible across Dublin put under control last night

Dublin Fire Brigade received over 20 calls reporting the incident.

A LARGE GORSE fire in the Dublin Mountains was brought under control last night.

Three units of Dublin Fire Brigade and a district officer were in attendance at the scene near Ticknock.

Dublin Fire Brigade received over 20 calls reporting the incident. The fire was visible across Dublin, as far away as Howth.

The fire was brought under control before midnight last night, as Coillte took over command of the incident at about 10.30pm.

Wicklow officers were informed of the fire before it was put out because it was starting to move over to their jurisdiction.

There has been no reports of damage done to local properties. No one was in the vicinity of the fire when it broke out.

The recent outbreak of dozens of gorse fires across the country has left the Fire Brigade under pressure, according to a spokesperson for the Dublin Fire Service.

“We feel it, especially when there are a few of them in the same area or in multiple areas and we’re trying to put out fires. There’s only so many pumps there to do it, so we are under pressure,” he said.

A combination of dry weather, dry vegetation and windy conditions have led to an increased risk of gorse and forest fires in recent weeks. Widespread damage has been made to Irish forestry.

Last week, over a third of Ireland’s largest forest, Cloosh Valley, has been destroyed by a gorse fire.

Cloosh Valley, Co Galway, is Ireland’s largest forest, at over 4,000 hectares.

It is believed that the fire was started deliberately.

Coillte’s forest estate was also damaged in recent gorse fires, the worst damage to Coillte’s estate since 2011.

“In addition to the damage caused to commercial forestry, these forest fires pose a significant risk to farmland, native woodland and areas designated for nature conservation,” Managing director of Coillte Forest said.

“Coillte would like to remind people that, under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to set fires to growing vegetation from 1st March to 31st August and appeals to anyone doing so to stop.”

“Coillte greatly appreciates the tremendous assistance it has received from volunteers and the fire services, whose lives are put at significant risk in combating these forest fires.”

Government ministers reminded landowners that it’s an offence to burn any vegetation growing on any land not cultivated between 1 March and 31 August, in a statement.

Read:  Over a third of Ireland’s largest forest has been destroyed by gorse fire

More: Thousands of acres of Irish forest at ‘major risk of destruction’

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15 Comments
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    Mute Rockhopper617
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    May 18th 2017, 10:55 AM

    Dublin fire brigade. Good on them

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    Mute Michael Kelly
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    May 18th 2017, 11:43 AM

    @Rockhopper617: Is DUBLIN the only COUNTY with a fire brigade..? No disrespect, it’s a genuine question. And as always: fair play to our lads at the D-F-B, the amount of responsibility they have, THEY shoud be among the highest paid workers in the COUNTRY..!
    B@LL@X to all those so called, mostly self-professed, TD’s who don’t give a crap about anyone anyway, ( Sorry, they do care about themselves ), paycuts & job-swaps is whats needed here. Again, excelent WORK lads.

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    Mute Yorkie1892
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    May 18th 2017, 12:27 PM

    @Michael Kelly: every county bar the ones with the cities are part time or volunteers!

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    Mute John Doe
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    May 18th 2017, 12:30 PM

    @Michael Kelly: yep.. also the only county with broadband and more than 4 tv channels.
    In the rest of the country they still use the punt. And when a fire breaks out they all rush to mass and pray for some rain. God is way more effective than any silly fire brigade could be.

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    Mute Sport Billy
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    May 18th 2017, 11:08 AM

    Stop calling those hills a mountains! There is no mountains here

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    Mute Alan O'Rourke
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    May 18th 2017, 11:11 AM

    @Sport Billy: jaysus, I bet you’re great Craic!

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    Mute Shane Freeney
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    May 18th 2017, 12:31 PM

    @Sport Billy: English your first language?

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    Mute Sport Billy
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    May 18th 2017, 1:30 PM

    @Shane Freeney: No. It’s my fourth. Why?

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    May 18th 2017, 8:25 PM

    @Shane Freeney: Níl aon tintean mar do – NVM.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 18th 2017, 10:52 AM

    Dirty S-m-bags deliberately starting these fire around Ticknock!

    Coillte need to have evening patrols by forestry rangers and Gardai and a cctv system in place to record car regs and activity around Coillte car parks to combat these low-lifes who are starting these fires for their own sick enjoyment!

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    Mute cortisola
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    May 18th 2017, 1:51 PM

    @Dub_Right: I bet they do patrol all the area considering how much important electronics is there.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 18th 2017, 3:07 PM

    @cortisola: Very rarely, usually only tech’s up there when something needs doing, but these S-bags are up in the evenings as the barriers to the car park is open until 10pm

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    May 18th 2017, 8:27 PM

    @Dub_Right: I was thinking that farmers could pay someone unemployed to help to clear the overgrown land instead of setting fires. But neither of us know who started it.

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    Mute John Kelly
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    May 19th 2017, 10:06 AM

    @Dub_Right: barriers are open till 10 because of the huge number of cyclists, runners and walkers that use the fabulous facilitie that is 3

    .

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    Mute John Kelly
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    May 19th 2017, 10:06 AM

    @Dub_Right: barriers are open till 10 because of the huge number of cyclists, runners and walkers that use the fabulous facilitie that is 3

    .

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