Status orange forest fire warning has been issued

A status orange forest fire warning has been issued for Wexford and the entire country for the next four days. The warning has been issued by the Department of Agriculture.

The Department of Agriculture says the risk of fire is now "high", following the recent spell of warm, dry weather. The alert will remain in place until 6 o'clock next Monday evening. In a statement, the Department said: "Arising from current weather patterns a high fire risk is deemed to exist in all areas where hazardous fuel such as dead grasses and shrub fuels such as heather and gorse exist. "While some areas may receive isolated rain showers during this time, most areas can be expected to see dry weather, higher temperatures, and strongly elevated fire risks in areas with fire-prone vegetation types," the statement read. Landowners and members of the public are being urged to be extremely cautious. The Department is urging forest owners and managers are being advised to prepare for "likely outbreaks of fire." They are also being asked to be "extremely vigilant regarding fire activity, to report any suspicious or illegal activity to the gardaí and to report all fires immediately to the Fire and Emergency Services."