Firefighters 'dancing with the devil' in gorse blaze
A Cork firefighter has described his harrowing battle to save lives and property from a giant gorse fire as Met Éireann issues further fire warnings for Munster.
Speaking on the 'Neil Prendeville Show' on Red FM, Paul Brierly, Station Officer with Crosshaven Fire Service, gave a first-hand account of the terrifying blaze that broke out next to Camden Fort Meagher on Monday evening.
“We were in the fight of our lives, like we were dancing with the devil upon arrival.
“I’m 25 years in the brigade, and let me tell you, the crackling of the fire was frightening,” said Mr Brierly.
The fire, which is believed to have been started accidentally by a group of teenagers, took over three hours to bring under control, with fire crews from Crosshaven, Carrigaline, Kinsale, and Cork city all fighting the flames.
Due to strong easterly winds, a significant volume of smoke was carried across the harbour towards Carrigaline, which at times made it difficult to accurately assess the location and extent of the fire from land.
Mr Brierly said the first 90 minutes after he arrived were particularly “hairy” as the blaze swept within just two feet of a nearby house.
“Once it started in one house, we were going to be in trouble,” he said.
“My own feeling at the time was if we lost the first house, we were looking at 20 to 25 houses. You don’t need flame to spread a fire, all you need is radiating heat,” explained Mr Brierly.
Due to the hillside location of the fire, the crews didn’t have the required water pressure to fight it properly, so they called in water tankers to ferry water up to them.
Mr Brierly continued: “We had to take some risks to save saveable property, and we were close to that line at all times.”
Up to 50 people were involved in the effort to control the blaze, including the Coast Guard and a number of gardaí.
Mr Brierly noted the “beautiful” community effort on the day and praised a local football club that allowed the crew members to use their facilities.
“It's actually a very good news story for Cork. Teamwork is what won the day,” he said.
Heat warnings
As of yesterday (Wednesday), a Status Yellow high temperature warning remains in place for most of the country, including all of Connacht and Munster. The current warning is valid until Friday morning.
According to Met Éireann, temperatures are likely to reach as high as 28C in Cork today, Thursday.
The national weather service listed heat stress, wildfires, forest fires, and drought as some of the possible dangers associated with the dry and hot conditions.
Met Éireann advises the public to stay in the shade, avoid going out or partaking in strenuous activities during the hottest part of the day, drink plenty of fluids, and apply UVA and UVB sunscreen to skin that is not covered, factor 30+ for adults and 50+ for children.