The spectre of wildfires, greatly accelerated by climate-change conditions, which has haunted southern Europe this summer, has reached Ireland with a vengeance in recent days. By far the most concerning is the huge fire that has spread this week over Slievenamon mountain in Tipperary. It has made much more aggressive inroads into valuable Coillte forestry since Wednesday, despite concerted efforts by the company and emergency services.
Scattered homes in the area have been under some threat. Local residents, especially those with respiratory conditions, have been warned to keep windows and doors shut to avoid smoke inhalation. Hill farmers are struggling to move their animals out of harm’s way. Damage to wildlife will be massive. The public are being urged to avoid the area as spectators, as narrow access roads have been blocked by people seeking images for social media.
It is important to remember that this fire is not an isolated incident. Over the last week, emergency services from Kerry County Council, and National Parks and Wildlife Service personnel, have been stretched fighting fires in Killarney National Park. These burned more than 20 hectares of land within one of our most precious environmental treasures, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Likewise, emergency services, plus NPWS and Coillte staff, have twice been required to douse fires in and around Wicklow National Park over the same period, again with helicopter support. Localised fires have also occurred elsewhere.
RM Block
This has happened while Ireland is under a “Condition Orange” high risk fire warning, following the heat wave and drought conditions that make fires both more likely to start and to spread. Lighting camp fires and using disposable barbecues is a gross irresponsibility under these circumstances and should be heavily penalised.
But we must never forget that climate change underlies the unprecedented spread of wildfires, and addressing its causes urgently needs to be a much more significant priority for national and international policy than it is today.
