NIFRS deal with 700 gorse fires

NIFRS deal with 700 gorse fires

27 April 2011

published by www.u.tv

United Kingdom / Northern Ireland — The Fire and Rescue Service say gorse fires are stretching resources and putting crews and the local communities in danger.

On Tuesday, a huge area of Glenshane Forest in Co Londonderry was destroyed by gorse fire.

The terrain makes controlling the blaze very difficult as there is no water supply and fires have to be beaten out.

Kevin Lynch, from the Fire & Rescue Service, said: “We were there for seven hours dealing with the fire. A slight change in the wind can change the fire drastically, putting our own guys in danger and the community at large in danger as well”.

“The problem is while we’re up there fighting the fire, who’s back at the stations? And that’s what people in Northern Ireland need to look at. Who is looking after their houses and properties?”

Statistics show that firefighters have attended more than 1700 calls since 15-16 April, 700 of which were gorse fires, making up for 42% of incidents.