Wildfires 'Ireland's new normal' as firefighters continue to tackle Slievenamon blaze

Experts warn we will continue to see such outbreaks due to climate change as firefighters continue to battle Tipperary fire

The wildfire on Slievenamon in Co Tipperary creeps in different directions as fire crews spent a fourth day tackling the major blaze. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

Wildfires and drought will be embedded in a normal Irish summer as climate change intensifies, experts have warned, as firefighters spent a fourth day battling a major blaze in Co Tipperary, with the smell of smoke reported as far away as Cork City.

Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service has been tackling the blaze near Clonmel since it broke out on Monday, supported by air corps helicopters dropping water on the flames.

The smoke from the fire travelled throughout adjoining counties, with thousands of Cork residents experiencing acrid air in the skies.

Flames and plumes of smoke from the wildfires on Slievenamon. Picture: Roz Purcell/Instagram

Poor air quality can cause several health issues and is likely to be responsible for more than 1,300 needless deaths in Ireland a year, with such wildfires now inevitable as climate change worsens, experts said.

Cork City Fire Brigade second officer Victor Shine said: “The climate is getting hotter and it is getting drier for longer periods of time, which increases the risk of a fire starting and spreading faster.”

The blaze at Slievenamon is proving exceptionally difficult to get under control, he added.

Items such as discarded cigarettes can have a devastating impact when conditions are like those seen in the country over the past month, according to John Sodeau, emeritus professor of chemistry at University College Cork.

Mr Sodeau, who is an expert on air quality pollution, said greater public education and awareness on wildfire prevention is essential.

Farmers in in Co Tipperary transporting tankers of water to spread at ground level in an effort to contain the major wildfire at Slievenamon. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

He said: “It just stands to reason that there will be more damage, even without extra problems from climate change. But it could be stopped if people were a bit more educated. I’m surprised that people aren’t more aware. But, clearly, they aren’t — and that really is up to the Government to raise awareness.”

Crosshaven fire

The recent fire that devastated an area around Camden Fort Meagher in Crosshaven was a wake-up call, according to Cork City councillor Honore Kamegni.

“The climate crisis is no longer a problem for another generation or another continent. What happened in Crosshaven shows that climate change is already having real consequences here in Cork. 

"We are seeing more intense and dangerous conditions and we have only begun to witness how rapidly these impacts can escalate,” he said.

Extreme heat, supercharged by the climate crisis, is sucking Europe dry in summer and intensifying the drought hitting the continent, a scientific analysis has found.

The gorse fire near Camden Fort Meagher, Crosshaven, Co Cork, on July 13 which threatened houses nearby. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Commercial State-owned forestry firm Coillte issued a reminder to the public that a status orange high forest fire risk warning remains in effect until 12pm today.

Rebecca Purcell, a witness at Slievenamon, watched neighbours, farmers, and emergency crews rally together to protect homes, livestock, and the mountain that has long been at the heart of the local community. She described the blaze as “terrifying”.

“We’re communities that live on Slievenamon and this mountain has a presence," she said. 

It’s really important to us and to just see the destruction on the mountain — it’s horrendous. 

Pat Neville, communications manager at Coillte, said the “immediate focus” is on containing the fire as “quickly and as safely as possible”, adding it is “too early” to assess the extent of the damage to the forest.

“None of these fires start naturally in Ireland,” he said, pointing to the fire risk warning in place nationwide.

Describing the countryside as “bone dry”, he urged the public not to light campfires or barbecues or engage in any activity that could spark a blaze.

It comes as France faced a fresh round of wildfires, with more than 20,000 people, including thousands of tourists in campsites and other holiday accommodation, evacuated as a “particularly intense” blaze advanced on the south-west of the country. 

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