Devastating Mayo forest fire suspected of being deliberate act
The fire was finally brought under control last night.
A fire which raged through more than 400 acres of the Wild Nephin National Park was finally brought under control last night.
Letterkeen forest has been left devastated by the blaze which is suspected of being a deliberate act.
The fire broke out soon after another section of the park was reduced to cinders when the Claggan Mountain Coastal Trail was destroyed on Friday night.
“This isn’t California. We are into our second week of fine Spring weather. Fires set after dark are deliberate, plain and simple,” said Denis Strong, Senior Divisional Manager with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
The Letterkeen fire is believed to have broken out close the public road.
An Aer Corps helicopter was used throughout yesterday to douse the flames after the fire started in the early hours of Monday morning.
Additional assistance was provided by Executive Helicopters, with specially designed buckets being used to dump thousands of litres of water onto burning foliage.
Fire crews from Achill, Ballina, Crossmolina, and Castlebar battled to quell the fire which was extinguished at around 9pm.
The blaze came within 500m of the home a resident who lives within the national park. She has lived in the area all of her life and told NPWS staff that it was 1961 since a fire of that type last occurred.
Innocent campers had to be evacuated from the area.
Mr Strong said it will take “years and years” for habitats, flora, and fauna to recover.
He explained that when peat burns it also burns down below the surface completely killing off the root structure of plants like heather.
He said the fire will have an “irreversible effect” on habitats.
Young hares who had recently left the care of their mothers, and lizards, newts, and ground-dwelling beetles also succumbed to the flames.
“At this time of year, the young hares, leverets are just reared and going off on their own. When they sense danger they just hunker down hoping it will pass,” said Mr Strong.
He urged members of the public to be vigilant.
“What has happened is just devastating,” he added.
Meanwhile, fire crews were also tasked to another fire at a private forestry in the Glenhest area last night.
