June 5th, 2018
Blanket bog and a Hen Harrier habitat are under threat from a large forest fire that has engulfed the Slieve Bloom mountains on the Laois-Offaly border.
The Offaly Fire & Rescue Service continued to battle the blaze this morning and has now closed off the Cut Road between Clonaslee and Mountmellick due to the potential danger to the general public.
Helicopter water drops will continue today, with the fire service urging people to avoid travelling to the area as it may “hamper operations”.
According to Ricky Whelan of Birdwatch Ireland, the fire was “creeping onto blanket bog” yesterday evening. Mr Whelan, who lives in the Laois area, said that the area is a “prime Hen Harrier and Red Grouse haunt”.
Forest fire burning in Slieve Bloom mountains, 4 July 2018 Photo: Ricky Whelan
A medium-sized raptor with a wide wingspan, the Hen Harrier is currently Amber-listed due to a decline in the breeding population.
The national population has declined for the last 40 years with only 108 to 157 breeding pairs left in the entire country.
The ground-nesting bird breeds in bogs and has also been impacted by coniferous forest plantations, agricultural land reclamation, peat extraction and wind farm development.
While the Red Grouse population is deemed stable in Europe, it is Red-listed in Ireland due to a significant decline in breeding numbers.
Gorse fires across the country
The State has extended an extreme fire risk warning until at least the end of this week as high temperatures and drought conditions influence a glut of gorse fires across the country.
Numerous gorse and grass fires have ignited or started maliciously during the hot, dry weather, with firefighters across the country battling blazes over the past few ten days.
A fire has caused massive damage to a bog near the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains. pic.twitter.com/ugtnSzb0VD
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 3, 2018
In Cork, the fire service attended fires in almost twenty locations last week alone, including in Kinsale, Cobh and Bantry.
The Department of Agriculture said that the fire risk is “compounded” by high levels of ignitions activity and “observed fire behaviour” associated with current weather conditions.
“DAFM advise at this point that all outdoor use of fires, barbeques and other open ignition sources be avoided on forest lands and in other high-risk areas until further notice,” the statement reads.
“Extreme caution is also advised with respect to haymaking and the use of machinery and other agricultural activity that may also present a risk of fire in dry vegetation on cultivated land types in current conditions.”
Coillte has also appealed to the public to exercise extreme caution, with the state forestry body fighting forest fires across the country over the past two weeks.
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