Galway Bay fm newsroom - A Connemara councillor is warning that the problem of forest fires in Connemara is only going to get worse as fire services continue to battle a major blaze in the area.
The fire has so far destroyed around 1,500 hectares of forestry and 2,000 of bog land in the Cloosh Valley area – an area five times the size of Phoenix Park in Dublin.
Councillor Tom Welby believes that poor property management by state bodies is largely to blame for increased instances of such fires.
He argues there is far too much land designation occuring in the region and a policy of reversal must be introduced as a matter of urgency.
The Independent Councillor says that more than 70% of Connemara is designated a Special Area of Conservation, or SAC, meaning very little can be done with the land.
Councillor Welby says blazes are now erupting at times of the year that would historically be unheard of.
