Fire near mayo airport brought under control

THE Mayo fire-fighting unit has brought a gorse fire under control close to Ireland West Airport Knock.

A family had to be evacauted from their home for a period during the blaze last night (Tuesday).

Members of the Charlestown Fire Brigade were called to the scene at Kilgarriff along what is locally known as 'the back road' to Knock airport.

Members of the Ballina, Swinford and Kiltimagh units spent several hours dealing with a similar fire near Foxford while the Crossmolina Brigade brought an outbreak in a bog near Ballina under control.

Seamus Murphy, the Mayo chief fire officer, said the dry spell of weather has created a situation where his unit is constantly on the alert.

'It's been a busy spell for us. The wet weather forecast for the weekend is welcome news. In the meantime, I appeal to the public to exercise extra care,' he added.