Coillte cautions public about risk of forest fire
Coillte has warned anyone taking exercise at a forest park they need to be on alert for the risk of fire.
Met Éireann has raised the alert level for wildfires to orange in parts of the east and northeast.
Weeks without significant rainfall have left vegetation extremely dry -- with spring growth yet to begin.
Mick Power from Coillte says the last thing the emergency services need right now is an unnecessary call for help.
He said: "We are well capable of fighting fires, we have all our training done, we have our helicopter serviced.
"(However,) we are very dependent on the emergency services as well in times when real trouble erupts.
"You are stretching the line one way or the other.
"We certainly don't want to see the emergency services stretched any further than they are because people want to do something stupid."
- The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to:
- Shop for essential food and household goods;
- Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;
- Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;
- Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people
- Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing
