A veteran Dublin fire fighter has warned actions must be taken to prevent wildfires getting out of hand as their frequency increases due to climate change.
There was severe gorse fire on Killiney Hill this week as well as several other wildfires thanks to the record breaking heatwave. The hottest Dublin temperature ever was recorded during the heatwave and global warming means these extreme weather events are set to be come more frequent.
Dublin Fire Brigade member for 25 years Luke McCann told Dublin Live they got "lucky" with the timing of the fire but warned it is only a matter of time before someone gets "unlucky".
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He said: "It happened at 5.05pm and they were able to scramble to it. And then at 6pm the change over shift meant they got more resources in. If it had of happened at 11am, that luxury wouldn't have been there.
"Our luck will only last so long. Eventually something will happen and somebody somewhere is going to be unlucky because of it. That could be fire fighters or the general public."
Luke had his doubts about the implications global warming would have but the recent European heatwave has changed his mind.
He said: "I would have been sceptical until this year. It is a sea-change. What happened in London was just jaw dropping and in such a short space of time.
"The two days we had in Ireland - we got away with it. Again, we were just lucky. Climate change is going to increasingly have an effect on fire fighting without a shadow of a doubt. After what happened last week, I have no doubt.
The veteran fire fighter added that wildfires are very hard to prevent as they are usually started by the heat of the sun alone.
He said: "The thing about grass, forest and gorse fires are that they erupt spontaneously. It is either to do with them overheating or litter being left lying around.
"It is usually not people lighting barbeques and lighting fires - they happen naturally. It is very difficult to mitigate or manage against them - especially gorse in Ireland."
Wildfires are common in Howth and Killiney during a spell of dry and hot weather. Luke said these locations present their own logistical issues which Dublin City Council and the DFB need to prepare for.
He said: "Howth and Killiney are both very inaccessible [to fire engines]. They need to do what they do to mitigate any risk - they need to prepare for it.
"The fire in Killiney on Monday had it's own challenges. Trying to get fire hose and water is the basic tenant of fire fighting but that is difficult because every single one of those fires is going to be different.
"It is a basic requirement to get equipment, water and fire fighters at the scene. That is what they need to prepare to do. There were logistical problems and there always are at these places because it is usually dark and usually inaccessible but that doesn't mean that we can't prepare for it."
Dublin City Council did not respond to Dublin Live's request for a comment on any preparations that are, or have been, undertaken.
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