Council warn over dangers of gorse fires as crews tackle blaze in Annagry

Donegal County Council has issued a further appeal over gorse fires this, as fire services continue to tackle blazes in the west of the county this evening.
The Council has appealed to land owners and members of the public to exercise caution and to take all necessary measures to prevent gorse, heather, forestry and similar fires during the dry spell.
Earlier today, fire crews from Dungloe together with locals battled a gorse fire in Annagry.
The fire broke out on the Ranafast road in a fairly residential area, but there have been no reports of damaged property.
Donegal County Councils Fire Service has responded to 62 call outs since Thursday 28 March 2013 and many areas continue to be susceptible to wild fires due to the ongoing dry spell.
The council is  urging all land owners and members of the public to be vigilant and to report any uncontrolled or unattended fires immediately to the Fire and Emergency Services.
The  Council has praised the work of the Fire Service who have, over the last week, responded to a large number of call outs in various parts of the county.
The authority also acknowledged the support that the Fire Service has received from the various communities affected by these fires.
Prevailing conditions forecast over the weekend in Donegal remain extremely favourable for gorse, hill and forestry fires to start.
With the current period of dry weather, gorse, heather and other undergrowth is extremely dry. Fires are likely to spread rapidly and get out of control causing unnecessary damage and putting houses, property and possibly life at risk.
The Council is also urging people not to engage in activities that could contribute to an increase in instances of fires at this time.