The willingness of the farming community to support the emergency services where possible with fires on the Slievenamon Mountain in Co Tipperary has been highlighted by south Tipperary Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) chair Darragh Scott.
He said sheep had been removed from areas affected by the fire and, while he was not aware of any animal losses, farmers remained concerned as the blaze continues.
The blaze had changed direction overnight and was continuing to spread across the mountain through heavy heather and rough vegetation, Scott said.
“The heather is four, five, six or seven feet tall, and it is just burning so hard with the fire at its back,” he said.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Scott said IFA president Francie Gorman is due to visit the area at 4pm on Thursday 23 July to assess the situation on the ground and to meet local farmers and those affected.
Scott said one local farmer estimated the fire was travelling at around a quarter of a mile every 15 to 20 minutes.
He said concern was also growing among private forestry owners and many local farmers were anxious to help in any way they could.
“There’s a lot of farmers affected, a lot of farmers trying and willing to help out,” he said.
Looking beyond the current incident, he said the wildfire also highlighted the importance for future planning for emergency events and the ongoing management of the upland areas, including the maintenance of firebreaks and vegetation.
He described the fire as “an ecological disaster” and said the priority remained to keep the blaze under control.
Slievenamon resident
Farmers have been doing incredible work to help with efforts to tame the fire, local resident Rebecca Purcell said, speaking to Philip Boucher Hayes on RTÉ Radio One on Thursday morning.
“If it wasn’t for them, I think it would be a different phone call this morning,” she said.
She said that some houses are on the tree line of the forest and that they are anxiously waiting to see what way the wind blows.
Speaking about the farmers taking slurry tanks of water up into the forest to attempt to put out the fire, Purcell said: “The farmers were there till 3am or 4am, just in a constant convoy, they had an amazing system of kind of one in, one out and they were just all night working on the fire with the water, incredible.”
Purcell highlighted the number of homes, farms and wildlife present near the fire.
Expressing the upset of the situation, she explained the important presence that the mountain has in the lives of people living near Slievenamon and how distressing it is to see it go up in flames.
She thanked the local community and farmers in the area and urged that more proactive thinking and policy changes will be needed in the future to deal with similar situations, which are becoming more common due to climate change.
Tipperary council advice
Tipperary County Council is advising farmers and animal owners in the vicinity of the Slievenamon Mountains to bring livestock indoors where possible or move animals away from areas affected by smoke.
“While conditions have stabilised and improved this morning after extensive ground and aerial firefighting efforts, fire services continue to monitor the area closely.
"Some fire activity is expected to increase as temperatures rise during the day and firefighting operations, including aerial support, will continue,” it stated.
The council has said that there is no immediate threat to life due to the wildfire on Slievenamon mountain.
However, following a change in wind direction on Wednesday, the fire spread into an adjoining Coillte plantation, it said.
As a result, additional resources have been deployed to monitor and manage the evolving situation.
A small number of residential properties have been identified and fire service personnel are engaging directly with these residents and property owners to ensure they receive appropriate information and support, as a precautionary measure.
“Residents in the wider area, particularly those located downwind of the fire, are advised to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke in the area,” the council said.
The public is also requested to avoid the River Anner at Thorney Bridge, where emergency services are drawing water to support ongoing firefighting operations.
Coillte
Coillte has confirmed that the fire is understood to have originated on open mountain ground before spreading into an adjacent Coillte forest.
Coillte told the Irish Farmers Journal that its own personnel remain at the scene alongside crews from Tipperary fire and rescue service and the air corps, with two helicopters supporting operations from the air.
It is too early to determine the cause of the fire or the full extent of the damage caused, Coillte said.
“The public is also asked not to operate drones in the vicinity, as they pose a significant risk to helicopter operations,” it stated.
Separately, Coillte reminds the public that a status orange high forest fire risk warning remains in effect until 12pm on Friday 24 July.
Continued vigilance is required in all areas with open public access, particularly where high-risk activities may occur.
Landowners and land managers are encouraged to remain alert to any signs of fire activity and to report suspicious incidents to An Garda Síochána, while members of the public are reminded to avoid using barbecues or any other outdoor fire sources on forest lands for the duration of the warning.
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