A Co. Limerick GAA pitch narrowly escaped an inferno after a stack of hay bales caught fire in the vicinity during last weekend’s heatwave.
It took two fire units, one from Rathkeale and one from Newcastle West, six hours throughout the night on Saturday (August 13) to fight the blaze, which one local termed a “major conflagration”.
It started when a trailer of hay, parked outside the Dromcollogher/Broadford GAA pitch on the R522 to Newcastle West, caught fire.
“The prompt response and intervention by the fire crews meant that mercifully, there was no significant damage to the clubhouse, petrol station, or other nearby properties,” a local stated.
No-one was injured during the incident.
Hay bales catch fire
Limerick Fire and Rescue confirmed that the Woodfield, Dromcollogher vehicle fire was attended to from midnight, with the last unit returning to base at 6:03a.m.
A spokesperson for Dromcollogher/Broadford GAA said there was only minor damage when the bales of hay caught fire and thankfully there was no major damage to the club or its surroundings.
“Well done to all who helped in bringing this potential disaster under control and in clearing up the aftermath,” one local concluded.
Fire weather
Last week, Agriland reported on fires which took place on farmland in the southeast of the country.
Wexford County Fire Service praised farmers for their “quick and appropriate responses” to several blazes last Thursday afternoon (August 11).
The fire service attended the scenes of fires on farmland in Cushinstown, Ferns, Crosstown, The Harrow and Kilmore. The blazes mainly related to farm machinery harvesting cereal crops in the hot and dry weather conditions.
Around 12.30p.m, a baler in Cushinstown which caught fire ignited bales and straw.
Four units of the fire service from New Ross and Wexford attended the scene.
Farmers helped the firefighters by ploughing a drill around the field to create a fire break and prevent the spread of the blaze to more farmland.
Around two hours later that day, Wexford fire brigade was called to an acre of standing grain which was on fire in Kilmore.
Two units of the fire brigade from Enniscorthy were called to The Harrow to help local farmers who had already managed to bring a blaze under control with slurry tankers.
Around 4.30p.m on that same day, a major fire broke out in the Ferns area across five fields of grain, straw and bales; a local woodland was also impacted.
Eight units of Wexford and Wicklow fire brigades responded along with special units for command and control, including water carriers.