Coillte fighting major forest fire at Cloosh Valley in Galway

Coillte fighting major forest fire at Cloosh Valley in Galway Outcry in Mullingar to name walk way after Niall HoranSnortable chocolate has arrived in the US and it's making some people really uneasyTanzanian wildlife park releases photos of lioness nursing leopard cubDownload our app 08/05/2017 21:00:25Back to Ireland Home A major fire at Cloosh Valley in Galway escalated out of control this afternoon despite the best efforts of Coillte and local ground crews to extinguish the fire. Thousands of acres of forest, moorland and wildlife are now at major risk of destruction. Ireland's largest wind farm, Galway Wind Park, is also located within this forest, and is at close proximity to the fire. A helicopter has been on site at Cloosh Valley over the past two days working to extinguish the fire, but with the situation escalating this http://www.mercedesdpfdelete.co.uk afternoon, the local fire brigade has now been called in to help protect the wind farm and Coillte have also requested support from the Air Corps, who provided invaluable air support at other fire incidents, including Sligo, over the weekend. Recent forest fires around the country have resulted in hundreds of hectares of productive commercial forestry being destroyed and this has the potential to run into thousands of hectares if fires, such as the one in Cloosh Valley, continue. Commenting Gerard Murphy, Managing Director of Coillte Forest, said, "The recent outbreak of fires, particularly across the west and north of the country, has been responsible for the worst damage to Coillte's estate since 2011. "In addition to the damage caused to commercial forestry, these forest fires pose a significant risk to farmland, native woodland and areas designated for nature conservation." With weather forecasters predicting the current dry conditions to continue for the rest of the week, Coillte are appealing to the public to be extra vigilant towards the dangers of wildfire and be mindful that responsible behaviour, including acting safely and responsibly in rural environments, can significantly reduce the chance of wildfire starting. Most Read in Ireland Bride refuses http://www.arabcarsales.co.uk to give back custom veil to 'devastated' Clare womanA Clare bride has been left devastated after a mix up that saw another bride take home her wedding veil, writes Ciara Phelan. Fire fighters battling blaze in NaasFire fighters in Kildare are battling a blaze in Naas tonight. KilkennyFour people have been arrested following an attempted armed robbery in Co. Kilkenny. Latest: Irish woman, 35, has died while trekking on KilimanjaroLatest: A spokesperson for the group trekking in Kilimanjaro said: "Irish woman aged 35 died on Kilimanjaro on July 14, 2017. She died of unknown causes while being treated to by a doctor at the scene."