Dublin Fire Brigade responded to a gorse fire in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains on Friday evening with fire engines deployed from Dún Laoghaire and Rathfarnham stations.
The blaze at Glencullen on the Dublin/Wicklow border could be seen from a large part of south Dublin and north Wicklow. At one point smoke from the fire caused difficulties for drivers on the M50 and the fire brigade advised householders to close windows.
By 11pm the Dublin Fire Brigade was indicating that it had made good progress and expected to shortly scale back operations.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has issued an orange level forest fire warning until 6pm on Saturday.
While rain is expected on Saturday and Sunday, the department said forest owners and managers should be advised that “expected rainfall may not be sufficient to fully reduce risks in all areas, particularly southern regions”.
The department advised continued vigilance throughout the bank holiday weekend in these areas, beyond the time span of the warning notice.
