Fire brigade units fight forest blaze

Fire brigade units, backed by civil defence teams, successfully fought a large forest fire in Co Galway over the weekend

Fire brigade units, backed by civil defence teams, successfully fought a large forest fire in Co Galway over the weekend. The fire started on Friday evening at Castleffrench, near Ballinasloe.

Units from Mountbellew and Ballinasloe were called out again on Saturday and yesterday but the fire spread to bogland and away from the forest, which is owned by Coillte.

A Coillte spokesman said while the fire had flared again on Saturday, less than five acres of woodland were destroyed.