Fire prevention plan is an absolute necessity

Fire prevention plan is an absolute necessity

9 April 2025

STORMONT Environment Minister Andrew Muir has been urged to prioritise the delivery of a fire management and prevention plan in the Mournes after a series of wildfires destroyed hundreds of acres of land last weekend.

The plan was promised in the wake of the 2021 blaze which destroyed 800 acres of land in the Mournes.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard has called for the immediate implementation of the fire prevention plan as concerns mount that with temperatures set to increase over the next few days, there could be more wildfires.

He also wants those who started the weekend fires to be held to account, praising the heroic efforts of firefighters who were faced with the most challenging of conditions, working tirelessly through the night to protect lives and property.

Mr Hazzard expressed frustration that four years on from the devastating fires of 2021, the Mournes is facing widespread environmental devastation yet again.

He said while those responsible for starting the fires bear ultimate responsibility for the damage caused, he argued there is no doubt that the failure to establish a fire prevention management plan for the Mournes is a “significant failing that needs urgently addressed”.

Mr Hazzard said the plan must be appropriately resourced and published in partnership with the local community, including agencies such as the Mourne Heritage Trust whose staff and volunteers are increasingly stretched beyond breaking point as the Mournes continues to bear the brunt of climate change, natural disaster and rising visitor numbers. 

Mr Muir has placed responsibility for the delay in implementing the fire prevention plan on the shoulders of his department’s officials, but that has cut little ice with Mr Hazzard.

“The Mournes urgently need a minister showing leadership and a determination to work with Executive colleagues in order to secure the necessary resources and finally deliver upon the commitments made to the people of South Down,” he declared.

Mr Hazzard also confirmed that he has asked Mr Muir to launch an immediate review of the proscribed “burn period” in which landowners are legally allowed to use controlled burning to manage the countryside. 

He continued: “It is clear that a review is urgently required, not merely to explore a more appropriate timeframe, but perhaps more importantly the effectiveness of the accompanying regulations and safeguards that are supposed to protect vulnerable habitats from the type of environmental devastation we have witnessed in recent days.

“There must be a full and rigorous investigation into the causes and consequences of these fires. The impact on local wildlife and the natural environment has been devastating and many families have been forced to evacuate their homes.

“Those responsible must be held to account and we must do all we can to support both the affected communities and the long-term recovery of the Mournes.”