Forest fire brought under control
Forest fire brought under control
9 June 2006
published by news.bbc.co.uk
Londonderry, Northern Ireland — A major forest fire which spread over 40 acres in County Londonderry has been brought under control, the Fire and Rescue Service has said.
The fire at Broughderg forest, close to Six Towns near Draperstown, was reported at about 1500 BST on Thursday.
An intensified effort to halt the blaze began at about 0700 BST, and it was under control about 90 minutes later.
Strong winds had fanned the blaze, making it spread rapidly. It is not known how it began.
About 80 firefighters and 15 appliances from across Northern Ireland attended the fire, but crews had to withdraw from the area overnight because the conditions were too dangerous.
Crews tackling the blaze faced difficulties over water supplies because of recent dry weather.
Fire service area commander Ian Doyle said the blaze had spread rapidly “through five-metre-tall forestry and threatened some property”.
