A fire in Co Wicklow had to be brought under control by the Wicklow Fire Service on Saturday after warnings of increased risk due to the current spell of dry weather.
The blaze in Ballinastoe was thought to have been the result of a campfire, which fire services said "nearly spread to [the] forest".
Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture issued an orange fire warning, which remains in place until Tuesday.
Clearly someone wasn’t watching us on the RTE news yesterday, stop lighting fires, and report anyone who does. Ballinastoe today, fire nearly spread to forest. pic.twitter.com/w09sdIEs6b
— Wicklow Fire Service (@FireWicklow) April 3, 2021
The warning comes as a result of low levels of precipitation recently which have caused dead grass, gorse and heather to become more flammable.
Forestry agency Coillte said Easter can be a peak time for such activity, putting lives and forests at risk.
Speaking to Newstalk, Coillte's Mick Power said they are "begging people" not to light fires, as the task of putting them out is very difficult for fire services.
