THERE was widespread condemnation this week from environmentalists and Cork County Council Fire Service responded to 71 fires, primarily in Bantry, Mizen Peninsula, Sheep’s Head Peninsula, the Beara Peninsula and Tragumna since Friday, as gorse and vegetation was set alight ahead of Wednesday’s ‘no burning’ deadline.
Brave firemen fighting wild fire above Bantry, West Cork last night. (Photo: Miki Barlok)
West Cork’s six fire brigades, and a crew from Kerry, worked throughout Sunday night to gain control of over 20 gorse and vegetation fires on the Mizen and Beara peninsulas.
All six fire brigades, including Bantry, Castletownbere, Schull, Skibbereen, Dunmanway and Clonakilty, were under enormous pressure, especially those tasked with trying to contain the massive fire on the southern side of Mount Gabriel.
The lack of rain combined with tinder-dry ground conditions saw most of the fires spread quickly, some into adjoining forestry, while others presented a risk to households.
Smouldering fires on Tuesday at Ballylickey. (Photo: Andy Gibson)Fire crews were reported to be going from fire to fire, in a bid to contain the most ferocious.
The level of activity throughout most of the night meant there were no fire-fighting reserves available in West Cork, other than Bandon or Macroom, to attend possible emergencies, such as a house fire or traffic accident. The majority of the fires were on Mizen Head, especially Mount Gabriel, which resembled a towering inferno, but two households near Lough Hyne were considered at risk.
Goleen hills ablaze on Tuesday night. (Photo: Andy Gibson)The occupants feared their homes would go up in flames, according to one local, who described one of the fires as being five metres away, while the other was 25m away, with flames 5m in height.
At one point, a crew from Castletownbere were fighting a fire in Crookhaven, while the Dunmanway crew was assisting in Crookhaven. Bantry and Skibbereen crews were deployed to Barnageeha, on the N71 between Bantry and Ballydehob, where some forestry was destroyed, while Schull crews worked to contain the massive fire on the southern side of Mount Gabriel.
It is understood that Bantry crew were subsequently called to a fire in Goleen, while Castletownbere crew were deployed to Toormore near Schull.
Meanwhile, a crew from Kenmare were drafted in to attend a fire in Castletownbere. Such was the demand on resources, it was reported that Carrigaline fire brigade was tasked as a relief crew to attend a fire at Toe Head, near Skibbereen, – described as an ‘unprecedented’ measure.
Schull Fire Brigade, assisted by Dunmanway Fire Brigade, were called by the gardaí in Schull to the Irish Aviation Centre in Mount Gabriel shortly before 9pm on Sunday because the fire came very close to the radar installation and buildings.
The crews extinguished the fire near the installation using water from their appliances, but the blaze came close enough to activate the fire alarm inside the buildings. A cabinet containing Valentia Coast Guard equipment came under fire but was damaged.
When they should have been resting, the same crews were all called out again on Monday, as fires continued to be set before the March 1st deadline.
Schull, Bantry, Dunmanway and Castletownbere fire brigades continued to fight gorse fires in the Goleen, Durrus, and Eyeries areas on Tuesday night.
There were reports of animals heard ‘screeching’ in the aftermath of the fires on Monday near Barleycove, with one person seeing three ‘terrified looking’ deer run in front of her in Gougane Barra.
A photographer working for the Star also described hearing terrified animals while he was working on the Mizen peninsula.
Environmental campaigner Sekeeta Crowley told The Southern Star she could see the massive fire on the southern side of Mount Gabriel from Baltimore. She said she had also been tracking, on social media, fires at Tragumna and Toe Head on Sunday night.
‘Nature is losing its battle against ignorance and greed,’ she said. ‘We are sick of this. Why are people content to see the Irish countryside go up in smoke?
‘Why are they happy endangering people’s health and property? And why do they not value the wildlife which is diminishing daily?’ she asked.
‘It is high time the government took a strong stance against this and banned the wanton destruction of the countryside by fire or poison.
‘It’s not just local, this is happening all over Ireland, and, as a resident, I find it heart-breaking to see swathes of burned land on Mount Gabriel.’
Residents of Seefin and The Goat’s Path on the Sheep’s Head Peninsula were shocked to see how much of the hillside was burned and how perilously close it came to their homes. Meanwhile, in Allihies, artist Tim Goulding posted video footage online showing the smoke billowing over his rural retreat and place of work, as men with shovels and beaters stood by trying to prevent the embers from crossing the boundary line.
Seskin, in the hills above Bantry, was described as being ‘completely roasted’ while nearby Lough Bofinna and Kilcrohane were badly burned too.
New leader of the Social Democrats Holly Cairns said that while the gorse fires are legal, ‘damaging wildlife is surely a crime?’
‘The government had promised a special Garda unit to deal with this area, but they have failed to resource it properly. The statistics on people being prosecuted for these and other wildlife crimes is very low,’ she said.
A spokesperson for Cork County Council said: ‘Crews worked hard in very challenging conditions for long hours tackling these fires, some of which came very close to private houses, with all houses protected.’
The spokesperson said uncontrolled fires ‘pose a danger to wildlife, property, infrastructure, the environment and potentially, human life. They can be a significant and prolonged draw on fire service resources and may compromise the ability to respond to other incidents such as road traffic collisions or domestic fires.’
‘It’s shocking that these wildfires are started deliberately,’ said Calvin Jones, local wildlife guide.
‘We’re on the cusp of the breeding season for threatened upland bird species. If we’re to have any chance of addressing the spiralling biodiversity crisis, we have to stop this senseless habitat destruction. These fires put not only wildlife, but also people and property at risk.’
‘Authorities need to send a clear message to perpetrators that this wanton destruction of our natural heritage won’t be tolerated.’
Minister Malcolm Noonan, Department of Local Government and Heritage said they take wildlife crime extremely seriously. He said 32 prosecutions were secured in 2022, there have been 2 so far in 2023 and there are a further 60 cases on hand.
‘This is in addition to consequences to landowners for eligibility under the Basic Payment Scheme through cross-compliance with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.’
Schull Fire Brigade, assisted by Dunmanway Fire Brigade, were called by the gardaí in Schull to the Irish Aviation Centre in Mount Gabriel shortly before 9pm on Sunday because the fire came very close to the radar installation and buildings.
The crews extinguished the fire, but the blaze came close enough to activate the fire alarm inside the buildings. A cabinet containing Valentia Coast Guard equipment came under fire but wasn’t damaged. When they should have been resting, the same crews were all called out again on Monday.
Schull, Bantry, Dunmanway and Castletownbere fire brigades continued to fight gorse fires in the Goleen, Durrus, and Eyeries areas on Tuesday night. There were reports of animals heard ‘screeching’ in the aftermath of the fires on Monday near Barleycove, with one person seeing three ‘terrified looking’ deer run in front of her in Gougane Barra.
A photographer working for the Star also described hearing what he called the ’screams’ of terrified animals while he was working on the Mizen peninsula.
Environmental campaigner Sekeeta Crowley told The Southern Star she could see the massive fire on the southern side of Mount Gabriel from Baltimore. She said she had also been tracking, on social media, fires at Tragumna and Toe Head on Sunday night.
‘Nature is losing its battle against ignorance and greed,’ she said. ‘We are sick of this. Why are people content to see the Irish countryside go up in smoke?
‘Why are they happy endangering people’s health and property? And why do they not value the wildlife which is diminishing daily?’ she asked.
‘It is high time the government took a strong stance against this and banned the wanton destruction of the countryside by fire or poison.
‘It’s not just local, this is happening all over Ireland, and, as a resident, I find it heart-breaking to see swathes of burned land on Mount Gabriel.’
The recent fire that swept over Mount Gabriel left behind a charred landscape right up to the Radar Station. The habitat for local wild life has gone, a few sheep that escaped the blaze find little left to eat but ash covered ground. (Photo: Andrew Harris)
Residents of Seefin and The Goat’s Path on the Sheep’s Head Peninsula were shocked to see how much of the hillside was burned and how perilously close it came to their homes. Meanwhile, in Allihies, artist Tim Goulding posted video footage online showing the smoke billowing over his rural retreat and place of work, as men with shovels and beaters stood by trying to prevent the embers from crossing the boundary line.
Seskin, in the hills above Bantry, was described as being ‘completely roasted’ while nearby Lough Bofinna and Kilcrohane were badly burned too.
New leader of the Social Democrats Holly Cairns said that while the gorse fires are legal, ‘damaging wildlife is surely a crime?’
The government had promised a special Garda unit to deal with this area, she said, but failed to resource it properly. ‘The statistics on people being prosecuted for these and other wildlife crimes is very low,’ she said.
A spokesperson for Cork County Council said: ‘Crews worked hard in very challenging conditions for long hours tackling these fires, some of which came very close to private houses, with all houses protected.’
The spokesperson said uncontrolled fires can be a significant and prolonged draw on fire service resources and ‘may compromise the ability to respond to other incidents such as road traffic collisions or domestic fires.’
‘It’s shocking that these wildfires are started deliberately,’ said Calvin Jones, local wildlife guide. ‘We’re on the cusp of the breeding season for threatened upland bird species. If we’re to have any chance of addressing the spiralling biodiversity crisis, we have to stop this senseless habitat destruction. These fires put not only wildlife, but also people and property at risk.’
‘Authorities need to send a clear message to perpetrators that this wanton destruction of our natural heritage won’t be tolerated.’
Minister Malcolm Noonan, Department of Local Government and Heritage said they take wildlife crime extremely seriously. He said 32 prosecutions were secured in 2022, there have been 2 so far in 2023 with 60 cases ‘on hand’.
‘This is in addition to consequences to landowners for eligibility under the Basic Payment Scheme.’
