Fire on Ireland's Eye

tricky D

Fire on Irelands Eye. Started around 8.30am!

tricky D

Live view http://howthweather.com/

The Hill Billy

I was wondering what that was - I saw it from the office this morning.

tricky D

More on this (x posted to Nature forum):

Fire on Ireland's Eye started some time in the wee hours. DFB are putting it out as I type and it hasn't spread too far so hopefully the Puffins shouldn't be badly affected. DFB fella said there were birdwatchers on the island last night which isn't the most comforting thought.

The whole island went up in flames in the 70s and tens of thousands of rats swam to the beach at Burrow and Claremont Roads with hundred running across gardens.

Will have some pix up soon.

Edit: here pix here

This morning





About an hour ago

tricky D

And we had another at Kilrock above the car park at the end of Balscadden Rd. Seems to be out now. Plenty of eejits at work today.

Stheno

Is the fire on Ireland's eye out?


Also fyi rathbeale road from the lights at Glen Ellen is closed from June 22-30th

tricky D

Looks like they're both out now.

tricky D

The second volcano fire.

Dizzyblonde

That really does look like a volcano!

The Hill Billy

Is the Ireland's Eye fire still going? Looking across there now from Santry & there's a big plume of smoke from that direction.

tricky D

Yes still going and I didn't see any DFB vehicles on the harbour or any firefighting action on the island through the binos an hour or two ago.

Just double-checked and it appears to be weakening but there's a fog rolling in so can't be too sure.

Edit: and now there's some rain:)

The Hill Billy

No sign of any smoking around 9:30, but I see just now that the fire is still going.

tricky D

It's kicked off again and is spreading with no DFB presence from what I can see.

The Hill Billy

Split from the Off-topic Thread.
Worthy of a thread of its own.

tHB

tricky D

Right now. Looks like it might be let burn.

The Hill Billy

The fire has spread down to the shore quite a bit, based on the earlier pics.

tricky D

If you look closely in the first pic at the Thulla, which is the on the far right of the island near us, you can see a white patch which looks like the birds taking refuge. /sigh

Defo spreading due to wind et al conditions.

DFB are acting.

The Hill Billy

It really is getting big now - lots of smoke spreading SE into the easterly approach to the airport.

Atlantic Dawn

Dublin Fire Brigade on the island now...

https://twitter.com/DubFireBrigade/status/612255821506981888

BowWow

Live webcam -

http://hyc.ie/

Click on webcam, half way down the page on right hand side.

hardCopy

How are DFB fighting it? Portable pumps or something?

Stheno

Was wondering the same and who brings them out there?

tricky D

Pumps. Plenty of people able and willing to provide transport.

tricky D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmKLoymOOVc

Nodster

Can see the smoke from Clogherhead

tricky D

Looks like it's been left to burn itself out.

Will there be a rat invasion and what for the birds?

Dizzyblonde

We were out by Portmarnock today and saw the smoke, and all I could think of was thousands of rats abandoning the island...
I wonder if it will be habitable for the birds after the fire.

mocha please!

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

We were out by Portmarnock today and saw the smoke, and all I could think of was thousands of rats abandoning the island...
I wonder if it will be habitable for the birds after the fire.

Stupid question, but can rats swim? Like could they swim as far as the mainland?

tricky D

Oh they can swim all right. There was another large on the island fire around 1977 and the stretch from Claremont down to Sutton Golf Club had thousands and thousands of them running across lawns etc.

As for birds, I think the puffins are on the north side and could be safer. The gannets are on the Stack and will certainly be affected by smoke at the least. Anything in the middle is screwed.

Just back from Baldoyle and the view from there shows that pretty the whole of the green stretch from the summit to the beach is burnt. Ie. the green bits left in the foreground are a lot smaller than they look.

Dizzyblonde

I'd imagine it'll take a long time for the island to recover from this

Atlantic Dawn

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I'd imagine it'll take a long time for the island to recover from this

The grass will recover pretty quick given the time of the year but the birds will have been nesting these months so worst affected.

Dizzyblonde

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The grass will recover pretty quick given the time of the year but the birds will have been nesting these months so worst affected.

I've been thinking about the baby birds, hope the losses haven't been too great

Stheno

I confused lambay with Ireland's eye forgot how close it is to howrh

neris

Out sailing yesterday got below on the way back in. When we were going out at 12 the smoke was light but by 2 was very thick and you couldnt see the east side of howth from north of irelands eye. It doesnt look to bad from that angle but was quite heavy smoke once you got in front of the big beach. There were a few people on the beach aswell as we went past and 2 fire engines on the end of the west pier at aqua

tricky D

Both fires are still smoking. DFB arriving again at Kilrock as I type.

tricky D

Pix from this afternoon:

The full set from the last few days is here: http://s250.photobucket.com/user/trickydky/library/howth/irelands%20eye%20fire%2018-06-2015?sort=3&page=1

(2 for the price of 1)

Burnt ground x 2

tricky D

Both still going, flaming up now and again. And saw a good bit of smoke an hour ago on the Bull Island.

Dizzyblonde

Really? That's a long time for them to be going, the windy weather probably didn't help.
What we need is a good downpour.

Pipmae

It seems there is one in Howth now as well.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/firefighters-battle-gorse-fire-in-howth-31323913.html

Stheno

Pipmae wrote: »

It seems there is one in Howth now as well.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/firefighters-battle-gorse-fire-in-howth-31323913.html

Think that's the volcano one from the weekend that has rekindled?

tricky D

It is indeed the Kilrock 'volcano'. The wind has turned, so it has relighted and was threatening the house opposite Tara Hall. I could see some glows on the way home a few minutes ago.

The island is also still smouldering and occasionally flaming.

P_1

Slightly OT but methinks the Indo need some new sub editors.

Indo wrote:

Three fire crews have arrived to tackle the blaze near Balscadden, reported to have started less than an hour ago near the Hollywood Lakes golf club.

neris

Smoking again this evening up behind the martello tower.

neris

3 fire engines and a fire van speeding along the harbour front about 10pm aswell. not sure wheres on fire now

tricky D

They left about half an hour ago from up the hill somewhere.