Firefighters were called out to tackle a large blaze of straw bales in Meath over the weekend, with some startling scenes unfolding.
Investigations have since begun into suspected criminal damage, authorities have confirmed.
Meath County Fire and Rescue Service were called into action on Sunday evening (September 5) to an incident near Ashbourne where a substantial stack of straw bales caught fire in a field.
Providing a snapshot of the scenes when on site, the fire and rescue service took to Twitter to say:
“Meath County Fire and Rescue Service are currently in attendance [at] an extremely large straw bail fire outside Ashbourne.
“The flames may be seen from a distance. The fire is contained to the field,” the fire service tweet added.
Meanwhile, An Garda Síochána has begun investigations into the incident.
In a short statement to Agriland, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said:
“Gardaí are investigating a suspected criminal damage by fire incident that occurred at approximately 6:55p.m on Sunday, September 5, 2021, in the Ashbourne area of Co. Meath.
“A number of bales were damaged. No arrests have been made at this time,” the spokesperson added.
A similar incident occurred across the water in the UK last month where an investigation has been launched by local authorities after some 600 bales of straw were destroyed in a fire.
The incident occurred in Northamptonshire, England, on Tuesday (August 31).
Owner of the straw, Sundown Products, took to social media to urge vigilance when dealing with straw, stating:
“We are awaiting the results of an investigation into the cause of the fire, but we all know that straw stacks are a magnet for people who like to start fires and rural crime is a real issue at the moment.
“Please stay vigilant,” the company urged.