Cork on red alert as warnings over fires and water levels issued

While people are basking in the sun, the record-breaking heatwave has also brought wildfires and water shortages to parts of Cork.

City and county firefighters were battling blazes throughout Cork last night, with gorse and brush fires erupting in dry conditions. City units were alerted to a blaze in a cornfield off the Old Mallow Road yesterday afternoon, with another incident reported at Tinker’s Cross around the same time.
Later in the evening, six units from the county brigade stemmed a brush fire in Marlogue Woods, east of Cobh.
In all, city crews were alerted to 21 separate calls in just 14 hours last night.
The Department of Agriculture has issued a red-alert warning of further forest fires.

There are water shortages in many parts of Cork, too, with some areas reliant on tankers for supply. Irish Water and Cork County Council are monitoring supplies, amid fears that Dublin’s hosepipe ban may have to be replicated in Cork.
Cork County Council warned yesterday there would be no water at times in Kilberihert, Liscarroll and parts of Freemount and residents of Nohoval and Clonakilty have been asked to conserve water where at all possible, as the supply is dwindling.

Current forecasts anticipate that warm conditions are set to continue in the coming days. Temperatures in Cork on Saturday afternoon and Sunday will be slightly lower than in recent days but still very warm, reaching 26 to 28 degrees in places.