Grass fire danger

SOMEONE could be killed if deliberate grass burning in Craigavon is not stamped out.

The fire brigade have been inundated with calls to the Brownlow area to deal with a spate of grass fires in recent weeks.

A warning has been issued about the dangers of the out of control blazes and residents have been forced to stay in their homes because of the smoke given off by the fires.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A Lismore Manor resident told the ‘MAIL’: “It needs to stop. I can’t hang the clothes out on the line and I can’t let my three-year-old son out to play in the garden because of the thick smoke.”

The chair of the council’s Environmental Services committee has called on parents, statutory bodies and landowners to take action now to bring an end to the fires which have blighted the Brownlow community.

Sinn Fein Councillor Johnny McGibbon has claimed if action isn’t taken there will eventually be a fatality. He said the recent fires have covered acres of ground and could easily have gotten out of hand but for the quick actions and expertise of the fire service.

Councillor McGibbon said: “These recent grass fires have created enormous volumes of ash and smoke which create serious problems for local households but more disturbing is the potential of large volumes of smoke to quickly overcome anyone, particularly a young person, caught within its perimeter. Action has to be taken now before someone is caught in one of these fires.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He continued: “The primary responsibility lies with the parents of the small group of young people responsible for lighting the fires. The clothes of these children have to stink with the smell of grass smoke and their parents have a responsibility to their young and to the community to bring a halt to this anti-social behaviour.

“The statutory agencies and the owners of the land whether public or private also have a duty to take action to remove the potential for further fires by ensuring that year upon year of old dry grasses and shrubbery are not allowed to build up through lack of maintenance.”

With the recent spell of dry weather, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has attended an increasing number of gorse fires in the area and is appealing to the public not to deliberately start these fires as they have very serious and unpredictable consequences.

Victor Spence, Portadown District Commander, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) explained: “In the first 10 days of March alone, fire crews from Lurgan and Portadown Fire Stations have attended almost 50 gorse fires in the local area.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I would appeal to those responsible not to deliberately start fires as they pose a serious risk to life, property and the environment. They place extra strain on NIFRS resources and may mean that in a life threatening emergency, resources from further afield may have to respond as we cannot be in two places at once.

“This exposes everyone to an additional and often unnecessary risk.”