WILDFIRES: ‘It was so scary... I knew we could lose the house’

ANN CASEY
The terrifying sight of flames leaping into the air just yards from her home was what greeted Wood Lane resident, Elizabeth Rispin when she returned to her home on Sunday, having been at a funeral in Galway. 
"There were five fire engines, a truck of water and two diggers at the house," she explains
"You could hear the crackling of the flames. It was a field away from the house and when the fire broke into the field they cut a trench which changed the course of the fire.
"They made a huge effort to save my home," she said.  

"It was a very frightening, scary situation - I knew we could lose our home," said Baskinagh resident Dermot O'Brien.
The flames came so close, the fence between his property and Coillte land was burned and the family have been unable to return to their home since Friday because of the smoke. 
"There is a hedge in the field beside the house and if it had caught fire, it would have spread too fast. I was very much aware, we could lose the house," he said.
He explained that they left the house when the fire approached the property and several of his neighbours were also evacuated.
"It came so close - the smoke was everywhere," said his neighbour, David Gallagher 
"It is terrible - the smoke is unbearable," he said.

"There was one couple and the flames came within 40 metres of their house. At one stage, there was so much smoke you couldn't see I from next door".
While the flames didn't come quite as close to Mr Gallagher's home, the smoke has destroyed his house
"The smell is dreadful - it is everywhere - even the hotpress - and clothes, bedlinen and everything just smells of smoke."
Another Wood Lane resident, Pat Conlon said it was very frightening as the flames came within 40metres of some of the houses.
"The wind changed at around 1.30pm on Sunday and the flames came up at the back of the houses.
"There were three houses in immediate danger. There were fire engines parked a those three houses all day and night. 
"People were evacuated from their homes and we had to get livestock and horses taken away and farmers brought water tankers."
When Baskinagh man, Martin Wood, and his family arrived home from holidays at around 4pm on Friday, they couldn't see their house with smoke.
"We had been told about the fire and as we got near, we could see there was a lot of smoke and then when we reached the top of the Boreen, there was a just a wall of smoke and was we approached the house everything disappeared into the smoke.
"It was terrible, the smoke  would burn the eyes off you."
Mr Fox said that given the seriousness of the situation he was surprised Meath County Council hadn't issued any advice to residents about dealing with smoke nor did they supply them with masks.
Ciara Sweeney who lives nearby said it was quite frightening and the flames had gone very close to the houses on Wood Lane.
She described  how the helicopter flew over and back scooping up water and then dumping it on the flames.