A senior Donegal fire officer has praised the outstanding work of firefighters from across the county in minimising the damage caused by this week’s gorse blaze on Townawilly Mountain - believed to be one of the biggest in the area for over 40 years.
Four fire appliances, from stations in Bundoran, Ballyshannon, Donegal Town and Stranorlar, were called to the scene early on Monday morning, and battled with the blaze throughout the day.
Joseph McTaggart, senior assistant chief fire officer, said that his officers had done ‘good work’ in preventing the fire from spreading to any forests or properties in the area.
Speaking to the Donegal Post yesterday (Tuesday), Mr McTaggart said: “The fire covered a relatively extensive area, but because of the mountainous nature of the terrain and local knowledge we were happy that no properties were in danger by the time we finished last night.”
He added that while there was still some smoke at the scene yesterday morning, there was no evidence of any flames.
Donegal regional manager of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Joe Gethins, described the blaze as the biggest he had seen in the area for over 40 years.
Condemning those responsible for the fire as “irresponsible”, he warned that the incident would have long-term consequences for the local habitat.
He said: “If the fire’s intense enough, not only does it burn the vegetation, but it also burns the root underneath. You can actually see the whole character of the mountain change. For example, the capacity for sheep will be greatly diminished.”
Gardaí in Donegal Town later confirmed they had not received any complaints that the fire may have been started maliciously.

(Reporter: Jonathan Rainey)