Galway Bay fm newsroom - A major forest fire near Oughterard is so large, it can be seen from space.
Satellite images from MODIS, posted by Irish Weather Online this afternoon, show a distinct streak of smoke above the Cloosh Valley.
Coillte held an operations meeting in the last hour and crews are travelling by helicopter over the site this lunchtime to gather an aerial view, in a bid to assess the current situation.
Fire fighters have brought two of three major fires in the forest under control overnight - but one blaze, with a front spanning several kilometers, is still posing a threat.
During the night, fire breaks were put in place at Galway Wind Park at Doon East, as the tail of the blaze encroached within 40 meters of a partially installed turbine.
The SSE project team is on standby this afternoon working closely with ground crews to coordinate the emergency response.
Over a quarter of the 4000 hectare plantation has been lost.
The Air Corps has been drafted in to help with the operation, and arrived at the scene shortly after 10 this morning.
Mark Carlin of Coillte says until it rains, the fire will continue to burn.
