Council asked to meet with private landowner to prevent more wildfires this summer
Preventing wildfires in the Dublin mountains this summer partially relies on one private landlord in the area following safety measures, according to the Dublin Fire Brigade.
A landowner in Ticknick Park was requested by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLR) to manage the gorse growing in their land and to allow the fire brigade to use that land to access the fire more easily.
“If the private owner in Ticknick has not made the adjustments he was asked to do last year, it’s going to be very difficult to extinguish a fire – we will have a problem with access and egress (an exit path),” said Michael O'Reilly, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Dublin Fire Brigade.
“Land management is very important – if it’s not managed to allow us access to get to the fire, there will be a risk of getting in and out without being a danger to firefighters.”
In August last year, firefighters had to manage a series of gorse fires in Ticknick Park, Cherrywood. Residents of the area said that smoke from the fires could be seen drifting across the nearby M50 and surrounding area for days.
The fire brigade offered a number of solutions at a DLR meeting this week, including how the council and private residents can manage their land, mapping fire hydrants and drone use.
Mr O’Reilly said that they were working to help landowners prepare their property after finding items like oil tanks in some homes.
“With private land, we have very little control, when it comes to management. Last year, we found a landowner with an oil tank under the eaves of their home – these can help spread fires,” he said.
Carrie Smyth, Labour councillor for Killiney-Shankill, said that it was important for the council and the fire brigade to work together to prevent similar wildfires this year.
“Unfortunately, I believe no work has taken place by that private landowner to mitigate or improve access for the fire service,” she said.
“So chances are that nothing happens between now and the hot weather coming this summer – it’s all going to happen again for the people of Cherrywood and the surrounding area.”
Mr O’Reilly recommended that the council organise a meeting with private landowners to ensure that the mitigation measures are put in place.
People Before Profit councillor for the area, Dave O’Keeffe, said that it was important to enforce such rules where public health is under threat.
“Is it a case we just ask them and hope for the best, or can we enforce it? If people are storing petrol and fireworks and matches, and other hazardous material, we need some kind of onus to manage that right way,” he said.
According to the fire brigade, the fires in 2025 were difficult to manage due to firefighters being unable to access the source of the fire.
"From our side, we can give a 100pc guarantee that we will extinguish these fires to the best of our ability but we have to take the health and safety of our crew into account,” he said.
“People want to live up in the mountains, they want to live in these green spaces, but they have to also help mitigate against these threats."