Emergency services remain at scene of 'very large' fire on Slievenamon

Emergency services remain at the scene of a fire on Slievenamon in County Tipperary this morning as efforts continue to battle what was described as a “very large” blaze. Picture credit: Cllr Michael Brennan Facebook

Emergency services remain at the scene of a fire on Slievenamon in County Tipperary this morning as efforts continue to battle what was described as a “very large” blaze.

Crews tackling the wildfire were last night moved off the mountain itself for safety and “retreated to the end of the mountain where the priority was to protect life and property”, acting senior assistant chief fire officer at Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service, Carol Kennedy, said.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Kennedy said crews are “monitoring it constantly and assessing any damage that it’s causing”.

“It is still burning and there is still quite a lot of work to do but, thankfully, the fog came in late last night at around 4am which really helped to subdue the fire so at the moment what we’re doing is assessing it from an aerial point of view and then coming up with a plan on how we’re going to go back up the mountain and tackle it,” she continued.

Ms Kennedy said that, at present, crews are not concerned about a threat to residents but advised locals to keep windows and doors shut due to a large volume of smoke in the area.

She said the cause of the fire is not known but advised that dry and hot conditions can affect the spread of wildfires, warning people to be cautious of disposable barbecues.

Weather 

Meanwhile, dry weather will continue for the rest of the week, with sunny spells and highs of up to 24C.

Tuesday started off cloudy, with widespread sunny spells expected to develop through the afternoon. 

It will stay cloudier in the north with the odd spot of light rain or drizzle. Highs of 19C-24C are in store for the day, with the warmest weather in the south. It will be cooler in the north.

It will stay dry in the night, with clear spells and cloudy conditions will gradually move southwards overnight. Temperatures will reach as low as 9C.

Wednesday will see the best of the early sunshine in the south with sunny spells becoming more widespread in the afternoon and evening.

Highs of 20C to 24C are expected for the day, with temperatures dropping as low as 10C overnight. 

Thursday will see similar conditions during the day with the warmest weather in the south. It will then be another dry night for most with clear spells later on.

Friday will see more sunny spells and highs of 18C to 24C before Saturday sees a "more unsettled day." Outbreaks of rain will spread in from the northwest with highs of 17C to 23C expected for the day.