Gorse fire in Sandyford extinguished with help of Coillte helicopter

Four thousand homes had been left without electricity for a time as Dublin Fire Brigade fought blaze that damaged power lines

Dublin Fire Brigade used a helicopter to drop water on the fire on Sunday evening as efforts to extinguish the blaze concluded. Photograph: Dublin Fire Brigade
Dublin Fire Brigade used a helicopter to drop water on the fire on Sunday evening as efforts to extinguish the blaze concluded. Photograph: Dublin Fire Brigade

Dublin Fire Brigade (DBF) said on Sunday evening a gorse fire at the townland of Barnacullia, near Sandyford, in Dublin, had finally been extinguished.

DFB thanked Coillte for the support it provided with a helicopter that was used to drop water on the blaze for several hours from around 6.30pm and had allowed “great progress to be made”. At about 9.30pm, DFB said on social media said the operation, which had started in the early afternoon, was finally coming to an end.

At one point, some 4,000 homes in Tallaght and Dundrum had been left without electricity as power lines were damaged. A spokesperson for the ESB said the customers had been switched to a different line and all had had their supply restored within about 90 minutes.

Crews from the company were still assessing the extent of the damage to lines on Sunday evening, however.

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Earlier, six units of Dublin Fire Brigade, including two water tankers, had attended the fire, with the smoke visible from across large parts of Dublin. It is understood they largely brought the blaze under control by late afternoon.

Woodside Road had been closed to traffic for a period while Slate Cabin Road was also reported as having been partially closed. DFB had said a strong wind was driving smoke across a wide area.

The fire in the Barnaculia / Ticknock area of the Dublin mountains as viewed from the Sandyford Road area.  Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
The fire in the Barnaculia / Ticknock area of the Dublin mountains as viewed from the Sandyford Road area. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

It said at that stage its members were seeking to protect properties affected by the fire and recommended people in the area should close their windows.

Local councillor Oisín O’Connor also said residents in the area were advised to stay indoors given the amount of smoke in the air.

Videos posted online suggested the fire itself was in a relatively limited area but generating a great deal of smoke. DFB said it had received hundreds of calls about the fire.

An Garda Síochána said members of the force had been assisting the fire services at the scene but no injuries had been reported.

Emmet Malone

Emmet Malone

Emmet Malone is Work Correspondent at The Irish Times