Residents living in the area around Killiney Hill in south Co Dublin awoke to smoke and the sound of a military helicopter on Tuesday morning as efforts continued to dampen down a widespread gorse fire which raged from Monday afternoon.
The fire was quenched by midday on Tuesday but firefighters remained on the scene to watch for flare ups. Two firefighters were injured as they tackled the blaze. The Garda said there was “no indication” the fire on grounds belonging to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was started deliberately.
Earlier in the day several units of Dublin Fire Brigade closed off Claremont Road and parallel Glenalua Road as an Air Corps helicopter carried a giant bucket between the sea near Killiney Dart Station and the fire, which was centred on the Roche’s Hill area, also know as Flagstaff Hill/Mullins Hill. From about 8am on Tuesday the Air Corp military helicopter arrived and began making relay trips between the sea and the hillside, dumping seawater on the still smouldering hillside.
A number of houses were evacuated in the area on Monday night as efforts to tackle the blaze continued overnight. The homes that were evacuated were on Glenmalure Road and Glenmalure Gardens, just off Killiney Hill road. “Eight homes were evacuated on that side, and then there were some issues with properties on Claremont Road and Ballinclea Heights as well,” Darren O’ Connor, station officer with Dublin Fire Brigade, told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland
Philip Shipman, who lives on Claremont Road, said the blaze had come “uncomfortably close” to houses on the other side of his road, although he had not been asked to leave his home. He recalled a planning battle some years ago had led to the county council acquiring Roche’s Hill, and an area of open land characterised by granite rock and gorse, and he paid tribute to the council for creating a fire break between the gorse and local housing.
On Monday night as fire officers battled the blaze, plumes of smoke could be seen across the city.
At the peak of the fire, six pumping appliances and crews were on scene, with support from two water tankers and an aerial drone. Senior officers directed operations, with an assistant chief fire officer at the scene.
The two injured firefighters were treated and transported to hospital by paramedics. “Their injuries are minor in nature, and we wish them a speedy recovery,” a spokesman for the fire brigade said.
Fr Michael Bailey, a member of the Franciscan Community in the area, said he had woken to the smell of burning and, having seen the helicopter, came out with his dog to see what was happening. “I could see the smoke, I wanted to know where it was coming from and was the fire headed our way,” he said.
Morning sea swimmers Patricia Whyte, Marie McGreal and Bernie Stevenson were among a number of people on the seafront using smartphones to film the helicopter as it made repeated journeys between the hill and the sea. Observing the operation admiringly, Ms Stevenson said: “I have been in that helicopter... I was in it when my son was considering a career in the Air Corps and they held an open day.”
In the Dart coffee shop, a local man who did not wish to be named said he had seen the fire when he left work about 4.30pm on Monday and it was still smoking heavily around 8am on Tuesday when he returned. He believed it was “malicious, unfortunately. These are not the conditions for a natural fire”, he said.
In a statement, the Garda said “at this stage there is no indication of foul play. Enquiries into the matter are ongoing and the area remains monitored in case of potential further fire outbreaks.”
Siptu, which represents fire fighters, said while the health and safety of its members was paramount, it had no information on how the fire started.
