Gorse fire in Howth brought under control

Firefighters have brought a major gorse fire on the hill of Howth in Co Dublin under control.

They’ve been batting the blaze since early this morning but have scaled back the operation as they dampen down the area.

Senior Fire Officer John Keogh was at the scene today, and asked anyone dealing with any kind of fire to exercise caution when hiking or campaing, including smokers.

"It's so dry out here now … once the fire gets started at all, it can escalate very quickly," he said.

"People using barbecues [and] stubbing out cigarettes need to be extra-cautious of how they put it out, and make sure it's out before they leave the scene."