Firefighters battle to keep forest fire away from Kildare explosives factory

Firefighters are tackling a blaze just 500 metres away from an explosives factory in Co Kildare.

Units from Kildare County Council fire services and Irish Air Corps and Coillte helicopters are attempting to keep a fire at the forest in Hortland away from the Irish Industrial Explosives plant.

The factory, based in Clonagh, Enfield on the Kildare-Meath border produces explosives for the mining and quarrying industries.

Fires broke out in peat boglands in Donadea and Dunfierth in Co Kildare on Wednesday and spread to the wood at Hortland which is adjacent to the explosives factory.

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Coillte's Mick Power said Friday was a difficult day as a strong wind fanned the flames destroying 60 hectares of forest.

“The wind was very severe and we had two helicopters on site,” he said. “The munitions factory is proving to be a major problem.”

Mr Power said firefighters are in a “good position” at present to ensure that the fire does not spread to the explosives factory.

However, he warned that there is a “line drawn in the sand” which means that if the fire goes beyond a certain point the explosives factory and homes around it will have to be evacuated.

Fire breaks have been put in on site and emergency tankers are there to stop the fire spreading to the factory. “I think it can be held, but if you get a wind like yesterday, you could have another problem there.”

Mr Power says there are forest fires in other locations in Counties Galway, Leitrim and Laois.

“I don’t believe we are finished with the weekend yet. I believe there will be more fires,” he warned.

In a further statement Coillte said the current conditions of extremely dry vegetation, strong winds and lack of rain were ideal for the spread of forest fires.

It said work is ongoing to contain the fire within the forest to prevent it spreading to local residences, and businesses and other nearby forests,”

Coillte continued: “At this stage it is too early to ascertain the cause of the fire, but forest fires in Ireland do not start spontaneously or have natural sources of ignition.”

It and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have been using drone technology to combat the spread of forest and wildfires and as an early warning system.

This is the second year that the technology is being used to monitor designated “hot spots” across regions of Dublin, Wicklow and the Slieve Bloom area in the Midlands.

The drones have already been in action in the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains this month.

They are equipped with cameras that peer through smoke, as well as sensors for wind direction and other weather variables that affect how fires spread.

Met Éireann has issued a rare status red extreme warning for forest fires following the driest spring on record in many parts of the country.

A high of 25.6 degrees was recorded in Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon on Saturday. The same weather station recorded the highest temperature of the year to date, a 26.8 degrees on Thursday.

The issue of a condition red extreme fire risk warnings is a comparatively rare event and implies that recipients should take immediate action to protect resources and property.

Such action may involve the mobilisation, assembly and prepositioning of resources such as water tankers, machinery, personnel and contract aviation support to high risk areas.