Helicopters take to Slieve Bloom mountains as forest fires rage

People are again being asked to stay away from the Slieve Bloom mountains in counties Laois and Offaly as firefighting efforts continue on Saturday morning.

A Defence Forces spokesman confirmed two helicopters left Baldonnel this morning to assist with the firefight on the midland mountain range.

Offaly and Laois Fire Services are providing water tanker support Coillte and the Air Corps' helicopter firefighting operations. "Please avoid the area of the Cut as road closures are in place to facilitate firefighting operations," Offaly Fire Services stated.

The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday morning on the Offaly side of the mountains, has now burned large swathes of land in the Slieve Blooms.

Heatwave nostalgia: Ireland’s sizzling summer of 1976

---

Northern Ireland hosepipe ban to remain in place

---

For peat’s sake, our uplands need rain – just not too much at once

---

Too early to say if hosepipe ban being observed, says Irish Water

---

Kinnitty based Councillor John Clendennen said: "Offaly Chief Fire Officer has informed me this morning that fire crews are again attending to fires on the mountain with the assistance of Coillte and the Air Corps, with a helicopter also back at the site."

He said people are being advised to avoid The Cut Road between Clonaslee and Mountrath.

“Considering how dry the terrain is, the high temperatures and the scale of fires to date, it is expected that fire-fighting and monitoring will continue until a change in weather conditions,” he stated.

On Friday, Laois's Fire Chief Declan Power asked "forest fire tourists" to stay away from the Slieve Bloom mountains as firefighting efforts continued.

Mr Power said “we don’t require forest fire tourists.”

Separately, the National Parks and Wildlife Service(NPWS) said fires on their lands are under control and they thanked their staff, the fire services and Air Corps.

They estimated that 500 acres of heather has been destroyed in their eastern nature reserves.