Fire crews are battling a significant gorse and forestry fire in North Clare this evening.
A large blaze is raging in the townland of Kilmoon near Lisdoonvarna. The blaze was reported at around 2.30pm with locals saying while it was ‘very small’ to begin with, it spread very quickly.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service responded initially from Ennistymon station however, on arrival at the incident and seeing how big the blaze was, it was decided that additional firefighting resources would be required. Fire crews were then sent from Ennis station while an additional water pump was also dispatched from Shannon.
Clare Civil Defence also deployed a drone team to the scene to carry out an aerial survey of the area to give fire crews a better idea of the extent of the blaze.
As the fire continued to spread firefighters trekked hundreds of metres across difficult terrain to reach and extinguish pockets of fire. Fire crews also monitored a number of residential properties to ensure the fire didn’t reach them.
When it was feared that the fire was close to reaching one home, fire crews were quickly redeployed to deal with the threat.
Coillte staff arrived at the scene and requested additional company personnel to be deployed to assist the with operation.
A helicopter with a specialised, collapsible water bucket fitted and which can carry water for dealing with such fires was also requested to be mobilised. The helicopter was due in the area at around 7.00pm.
Emergency services issued a public appeal for motorists to avoid the area as curious drivers were hindering the movement of emergency service vehicles along the narrow country roads between locations.
