Councilslammedfor ‘letitburn’attitude

August 1998

A landowner on Bray Head has criticised the local council for failing to do anything to prevent gorse fires on Bray Head, such as the one which destroyed wildlife on Sunday afternoon and enveloped the town in a cloud of smoke.

Gardai are still investigating the cause of the fire, but it is believed to have been caused by a group of people from the Bray/Greystones area who were camping on the Head over the weekend and engaging in drinking sessions.

Because of the direction of the wind, smoke billowed over the streets and estates of Bray in the early afternoon on Sunday, and remained for several hours while the fire burned through gorse and other vegetation.

A unit of the local fire brigade went to the scene shortly after 1 p.m. and stayed for about an hour and a half while the fire was brought under control and firebreaks were built to stop it from spreading too far.

However, Denis O’Sullivan, who owns property on Bray Head, claimed this week that it’s up to the Urban District Council to ensure that such incidents don’t happen again.

‘Nothing is being done,’ he told the Bray People. ‘ The “let it burn” attitude is ridiculous.’

One step which could be taken by the local council, he said, would be the appointment of a warden for Bray Head who could ensure that drinking parties, vandalism and the dispersal of litter was stopped.

However, he said, gardai should have ordered the youths present on Bray Head over the weekend to move on, as there had been an earlier fire on Saturday night which eventually petered out before causing much damage.

The blaze which ensued on Sunday afternoon was much worse.