Fires damage popular Mayo walking trails

Two popular County Mayo walking trails have been closed to the public after they incurred significant damage from two separate wildfires.

In the latest incident, units from Mayo Fire Service attended a large blaze at Wild Nephin National Park on Sunday evening.

The fire was brought under control on Monday afternoon by the Fire Service, with the assistance of personnel from Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

The Irish Air Corps also provided assistance by dousing the flames, which destroyed hundreds of acres of forestry.

The Letterkeen trail was badly damaged by the blaze and, consequently, has been closed to the public.

It is the second amenity in the National Park to have been closed to the public since Friday after another fire damaged the popular Claggan Mountain Coastal Trail.

Smoke from Monday’s fire was captured when the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites passed over Ireland at 11.30 a.m.

Meanwhile, a nationwide Status Orange ‘High’ Forest Fire Risk Warning has been extended until next Monday.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has requested landowners and the public to avoid all outdoor fires and other open ignition sources.

The Department said, “Current easterly high-pressure dominated weather and dry weather conditions are forecast to continue over coming days ahead of an expected change in conditions later in the week. Elevated fire risks are expected to remain in all areas pending this change.”

“Fire behaviour and spread rates will be strongly influenced by increasingly dry fuel conditions, low humidity levels and light to moderate windspeeds. Windspeeds may exceed 20km/h in some areas at times,” it added.

The warning was extended as yet another gorse fire broke out, this time in South Kerry.

Kerry Fire and Rescue Service responded to the blaze, which was first reported on Monday night between Sneem and Kenmare on the Iveragh Peninsula.

Motorists were advised to avoid the area due to poor visibility as the Fire Service attempted to extinguish the fire.

The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) is also urging the public to remain alert to fire hazards.

Between Thursday and Saturday, NIFRS logged 741 calls to its Regional Control Centre, with 146 concerning gorse fires.

It is illegal to burn under the Wildlife Acts between March 1st and August 31st.