Donegal and Mayo hit by forest fires

FOREST and gorse fires raged rough parts of Mayo and Donegal yesterday, destroying trees and wildlife habitats.

FOREST and gorse fires raged rough parts of Mayo and Donegal yesterday, destroying trees and wildlife habitats.

Officials in Co Mayo are counting the cost of a blaze which destroyed over 1,000 acres of 20 foot trees in a State plantation at Moygownagh, Ballina, at the weekend.

Army units joined up to 901 firemen and forestry workers to fight the blaze. Some sections of the forest were saved and the fire was prevented from spreading to a nearby bog owned by Bord an Mona.

There were gorse and mountain fires over the weekend in the Donegal Gaeltacht.