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Slieve Beagh wildfire 'extremely worrying', says councillor

Bernie Allen
BBC News NI
NIFRS A large blackened section of grassland has plumes of smoke billowing from it in the air. NIFRS
Firefighters remain at a wildfire in Clogher which started on Wednesday

A wildfire that has damaged a third of Slieve Beagh is "extremely worrying", a local councillor has said.

On Saturday, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said temperatures dropped overnight, "which has helped the situation", with two appliances remaining at Ballagh Road in Clogher.

A warning is in place for wildfires across Northern Ireland this weekend and the fire service has urged the public to stay vigilant.

Councillor Gael Gildernew said the Slieve Beagh area has recently secured €6m (£5m) in funding, and locals "are very concerned" by recent developments.

'Devastation'

A small black vehicle with the fire service logo on the side. On the back of its trailer it has yellow pipes. Next to it is a red and yellow fire engine with a metal grey ladder on top. There are shadows of firemen inside the vehicle.
All-terrain vehicles with portable pumps have also been deployed to bring the Slieve Beagh situation under control

Last month, Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin announced that the Irish government has made allocations from the Shared Island Fund, over the next five years, to develop Sliabh Beagh as an eco-tourism destination.

"People are worried about that and the possibility of where the funding is going to go," Gildernew told BBC News NI.

The fire ignited on Thursday morning and fire crews have remained on the scene ever since.

On Friday evening, 50 firefighters with 10 appliances tackled the blaze on the County Tyrone/County Monaghan border.

"They currently have the fire out and they are just keeping an eye here, so that it doesn't reignite," Gildernew added.

"It's a beautiful area. People love it; and you have homes, you have farms, rural life going on."

A fire fighter is trying to put out a wildfire. There is a lot of smoke in the air.
Slieve Beagh is a special area of conservation and a special protection area

As a special protection area and special area of conservation, Slieve Beagh is home to the endangered hen harrier and intact blanket bog habitat.

Gildernew said wildlife and the habitat will be affected.

"There are birds nesting in the ground - it's going to take years for the area to come back to where it should be - or where it was at.

"I have seen the devastation from the fire myself and it's about a third of the Slieve Beagh area."

'Big tourism area'

A woman is standing in front of a fire engine. One hand is folded over the other. Fields are in the background.
Gildernew says the area is "big" for tourism

"This would be a big tourism area. There are lots of local businesses, but tourism would be a big thing," she added.

"The funding is to increase and improve tourism in the area, so that will have an impact on that - we will have to look at that."

Birdlife and vegetation will take time to recover, she added.

"This is a cross-border fire, and I know on the Monaghan side there have been frantic attempts to move machinery out of the way."

What is a special area?

In Northern Ireland, a special area of conservation (SAC), external has increased protection under the Conservation Regulations 1995.

The protection is granted if the area contains special habitats or species that are at risk.

It also aims to safeguard biodiversity at both national and international levels.

A special protection area (SPA), external is also designated under the Conservation Regulations 1995.

They are important areas for breeding, over-wintering and migrating birds.