Summer-type gorse fires hit the Dublin mountains yesterday. Two divisions of the Dublin Fire Brigade were called out to deal with a fire which initially threatened a number of houses in the hills around Glencullen yesterday morning.
While the fire brigade was able to protect the houses from the encroaching flames, fire brigade mobilisation officer Mr Brian Parkes said it represented an unusually early start to the traditional "fire season".
March was one of the driest on record, while yesterday and Tuesday were the two hottest days of the year so far.
The gorse fires in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains represent a particular problem because of a lack of water available in the hills, according to Mr Parkes. Fire tenders must be replenished on a relay basis by a brigade tanker, which ferrys water from the nearest available hydrant - often many miles away in a lowland housing estate.
Many acres of gorse had to be left to burn out once the blaze had been brought under control, with scarce water being used to protect the endangered houses.
The brigade has noticed an increase in the number of call-outs to the mountains at night in recent years, a factor which Mr Parkes put down to a number of burning cars being noticed by people who have increasing access to mobile phones.
Mr Parkes said the recent dry spell was probably responsible for the fire, which he said may have been started accidentally by a piece of glass or a cigarette butt. He asked walkers heading out to the hills over the coming weekend not to light a fire.
"Precautions such as digging a hole and surrounding a fire with stones help, but it really is better not to plan to light a fire at all", he said.
While the first half of the winter just past was unusually wet, Mr Michael McAuliffe of Met Éireann said the second half had turned unseasonably dry.
The recent weeks had continued the dry spell and "it has effectively been dry now for four to six weeks with a lot of sunshine", he said.
The forecast for the days ahead is for the good weather to continue to the weekend with possibly cooler weather approaching on Monday or Tuesday.
