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12/06/2006
Nature reserve partially destroyed in fire
A County Down nature reserve has been partially destroyed during an overnight fire.
Emergency Services were alerted to the blaze at Murlough National Nature Reserve, just after 5am yesterday.
Fire appliances from Ballynahinch, Rathfriland, Newry, Downpatrick and Newcastle, with around 50 fire-fighters attended the fire, which spread across an area of 600 square metres, taking emergency services almost six hours to extinguish.
Fire fighters are to remain at the scene for some time as a precautionary measure.
Alan Fulford, Group Commander for the Fire Service has said that the blaze may have been started accidentally.
He said: "We have found the location where the fire started and it could have been accidental. We don't believe it to be deliberate."
He added that The National Trust are very concerned about the amount of wildlife which may have been lost in the inferno, saying that there are some types of birds and wildlife which can only be found in that area.
David Thompson, from the National Trust said the affects of the fire could have had devastating results.
Mr Thompson said: "The consequences of these fires can be enormous. It could destroy the reserve if the wrong fire was started and it went the wrong way. We could get 250 hectares of the island of Ireland and the UK's premier lowland heathland dune and grassland systems all going up in smoke."
The reserve is a 5,000-year-old sand dune system with heathland and woodland surrounded by estuary and sea.
Yesterday's fire was the second at the reserve, in recent weeks.
(EF/SP)
Emergency Services were alerted to the blaze at Murlough National Nature Reserve, just after 5am yesterday.
Fire appliances from Ballynahinch, Rathfriland, Newry, Downpatrick and Newcastle, with around 50 fire-fighters attended the fire, which spread across an area of 600 square metres, taking emergency services almost six hours to extinguish.
Fire fighters are to remain at the scene for some time as a precautionary measure.
Alan Fulford, Group Commander for the Fire Service has said that the blaze may have been started accidentally.
He said: "We have found the location where the fire started and it could have been accidental. We don't believe it to be deliberate."
He added that The National Trust are very concerned about the amount of wildlife which may have been lost in the inferno, saying that there are some types of birds and wildlife which can only be found in that area.
David Thompson, from the National Trust said the affects of the fire could have had devastating results.
Mr Thompson said: "The consequences of these fires can be enormous. It could destroy the reserve if the wrong fire was started and it went the wrong way. We could get 250 hectares of the island of Ireland and the UK's premier lowland heathland dune and grassland systems all going up in smoke."
The reserve is a 5,000-year-old sand dune system with heathland and woodland surrounded by estuary and sea.
Yesterday's fire was the second at the reserve, in recent weeks.
(EF/SP)
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