Status Red Forest Fire Alert

spookwoman · 03-07-2018 4:49pm

Fire up the comeraghs yesterday

https://twitter.com/TipperaryFire/status/1014138439783124993

Graces7 · 03-07-2018 6:42pm

I keep thinking I can smell smoke...

My family remind me there have been parts of Canada afire for months..

Stay safe, our gallant fire crews.. stay safe and thank you!

redsteveireland · 03-07-2018 8:07pm

Graces7 wrote: »

I keep thinking I can smell smoke...

My family remind me there have been parts of Canada afire for months..

Stay safe, our gallant fire crews.. stay safe and thank you!

Big bog fire near Ahascragh, Ballinasloe. With the wind direction the smoke could be making it to you?

https://galwaybayfm.ie/fire-services-monitor-over-a-thousand-acres-of-bog-blaze-in-east-galway/

Oneiric 3 · 03-07-2018 8:28pm

redsteveireland wrote: »

Big bog fire near Ahascragh, Ballinasloe. With the wind direction the smoke could be making it to you?

https://galwaybayfm.ie/fire-services-monitor-over-a-thousand-acres-of-bog-blaze-in-east-galway/

Smoke from that bog fire visible from here now:

Edit: Recent sat animation shows the smoke 'spreading out' as it visibly reaches an inversion layer:

spookwoman · 03-07-2018 8:43pm

Can see it on satellite as well

redsteveireland · 03-07-2018 10:03pm

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

Smoke from that bog fire visible from here now:

Edit: Recent sat animation shows the smoke 'spreading out' as it visibly reaches an inversion layer:

Very small amount of ash falling when I was in the garden earlier too.

sryanbruen · 04-07-2018 6:44pm

https://twitter.com/LaoisWeather/status/1014565031613214720

Graces7 · 04-07-2018 7:49pm

redsteveireland wrote: »

Big bog fire near Ahascragh, Ballinasloe. With the wind direction the smoke could be making it to you?

https://galwaybayfm.ie/fire-services-monitor-over-a-thousand-acres-of-bog-blaze-in-east-galway/

The island was thick with smoky looking air this morning. The only forecaster to mention it? Yep, you guessed

"some smoke or haze from fires drifting west through Connacht, risk of other areas of smoke developing, "

Our very own MT

spookwoman · 04-07-2018 9:09pm

linked from Offaly Fire & Rescue Service Facebook page of Slieve Bloom Fire

36601513_2086568914931365_8842708840597159936_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=6e2212feddce2b4cc3bc376017de3486&oe=5BE7DD7D

36601513_2086568914931365_8842708840597159936_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=6e2212feddce2b4cc3bc376017de3486&oe=5BE7DD7D

sdanseo · 04-07-2018 9:36pm

spookwoman wrote: »

linked from Offaly Fire & Rescue Service Facebook page of Slieve Bloom Fire

Unusual for Ireland to see actual trees affected. 95% of the time it's gorse or heather. We've got very little area that you could actually call forest or wooded, shame to see it on fire.

4068ac1elhodqr · 04-07-2018 9:52pm

sdanseo wrote: »

Unusual for Ireland to see actual trees affected. 95% of the time it's gorse or heather. We've got very little area that you could actually call forest or wooded, shame to see it on fire.

Perhaps the lowest 'woodland coverage %' for any country in Europe (excluding smaller craggy Island type places).

Might be an idea for FB to send up a few drones per day, unless they've got live Sat feeds or other flyover reporting.

Birdnuts · 04-07-2018 10:23pm

sdanseo wrote: »

Unusual for Ireland to see actual trees affected. 95% of the time it's gorse or heather. We've got very little area that you could actually call forest or wooded, shame to see it on fire.

TBH that type of woodland(monoculture Sitka spruce planatations) supports very little in terms of biodiverisity and is no real loss in that regard. If it was native broadleaves you might have a point.

Rougies · 04-07-2018 10:43pm

Birdnuts wrote: »

TBH that type of woodland(monoculture Sitka spruce planatations) supports very little in terms of biodiverisity and is no real loss in that regard. If it was native broadleaves you might have a point.

I agree that sitka spruce is a non-native invasive fast-growing super-dense weed-tree used for commercial purposes and it's a shame that much of our little forest area is made up of these plantations. It does however grow in places that native broadleaf trees wouldn't stand a chance and they provide habitat for some wildlife like sika deer (one could say it suits them to a T), and also pull more carbon from the atmosphere than heather or gorse would on similar terrain. I don't like sitka spruce, but it's not all bad.

Birdnuts · 04-07-2018 10:58pm

Rougies wrote: »

I agree that sitka spruce is a non-native invasive fast-growing super-dense weed-tree used for commercial purposes and it's a shame that much of our little forest area is made up of these plantations. It does however grow in places that native broadleaf trees wouldn't stand a chance and they provide habitat for some wildlife like sika deer (one could say it suits them to a T), and also pull more carbon from the atmosphere than heather or gorse would on similar terrain. I don't like sitka spruce, but it's not all bad.

These upland areas are naturally "treeless" and are important watersheds for our rivers. lakes and in turn our water supplies, game fisheries etc. Block planting alien conifer monocultures seriously damages these functions via shading, acidification and siltation. This type of industrial forestry also destroys the habitat of rare and endangerd birds like Red Grouse, Hen Harrier, Curlew etc. Upland blanket bogs are also important Carbon sinks so destroying them via Sitka spruce plantations, wind farms etc. makes no sense in that regard eitheir

spookwoman · 05-07-2018 12:32am

Helicopter view of the fire
https://www.facebook.com/OffalyFireRescue/videos/2086777684910488/?t=12

Rhineshark · 05-07-2018 7:38am

sdanseo wrote: »

Unusual for Ireland to see actual trees affected. 95% of the time it's gorse or heather. We've got very little area that you could actually call forest or wooded, shame to see it on fire.

Taking into account about Sitka spruce above, a particularly nasty fire last year took out a good chunk of Ireland's largest forest last year in Cloosh Valley.

As well as cigarette butts, litter from picnics, especially bottles/jars/broken glass and probably tinfoil can all start fires too.

Apart from everything else, water reserves are low.

mirrorwall14 · 05-07-2018 7:44am

In north Kildare and there’s a burnt turf smell on the wind. No idea from where

king size mars bar · 05-07-2018 7:46am

Same kind of smell here in Kilkenny county

Macy0161 · 05-07-2018 8:16am

Looked like the fire from yesterday was still going in Glencree this morning anyway.

Rhineshark wrote: »

As well as cigarette butts, litter from picnics, especially bottles/jars/broken glass and probably tinfoil can all start fires too.

At least two that I'm aware of in North Wicklow the source were a disposable bbq, and a campfire. People who do either at the moment should be charged with arson.

Graces7 · 05-07-2018 9:27am

Macy0161 wrote: »

Looked like the fire from yesterday was still going in Glencree this morning anyway.

At least two that I'm aware of in North Wicklow the source were a disposable bbq, and a campfire. People who do either at the moment should be charged with arson.

After that really terrible year in Kerry, they said when they could not find the arsonists that they were going to start fining anyone on whose land there was any fire. Soon stopped it as farmers became more vigilant.

Rhineshark · 05-07-2018 7:14pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Looked like the fire from yesterday was still going in Glencree this morning anyway.

At least two that I'm aware of in North Wicklow the source were a disposable bbq, and a campfire. People who do either at the moment should be charged with arson.

Argh, anyone that doesn't have the cop-on to ensure their bbq or campfire is well and truly dead before leaving it has no business being allowed out with fire-making devices.

Mistakes happen and all. A gust of wind catches ashes and blows them into tinder dry growth. But that's why it shouldn't be left unattended for a moment when the ground is like this. And really, no-one should be using campfires or bbqs anywhere near vegetation in a heatwave anyway. Back garden. Beach. Not woodlands, fields or on a dry bog!!! >.<

The country code should be mandatory teaching in schools or something.

spookwoman · 05-07-2018 8:34pm

Rhineshark wrote: »

Argh, anyone that doesn't have the cop-on to ensure their bbq or campfire is well and truly dead before leaving it has no business being allowed out with fire-making devices.

Mistakes happen and all. A gust of wind catches ashes and blows them into tinder dry growth. But that's why it shouldn't be left unattended for a moment when the ground is like this. And really, no-one should be using campfires or bbqs anywhere near vegetation in a heatwave anyway. Back garden. Beach. Not woodlands, fields or on a dry bog!!! >.<

The country code should be mandatory teaching in schools or something.

Few firebugs around as well. There is a few in waterford that keep trying to set fires in Ballinakill. :mad:

sryanbruen · 22-07-2018 2:15pm

https://twitter.com/padnandos1/status/1021014181628338176

Status Red Forest Fire Alert

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