Gardai are continuing to investigate the cause of three separate blazes which broke out at a popular nature reserve in Co Wexford.
Two fires broke out at Raven Wood Nature Reserve located close to Curracloe Beach on Sunday evening while the latest occurred on Monday afternoon - 24 hours apart.
Fire crews from Wexford town and Enniscorthy battled the fires which broke out at around 8pm on Sunday, 4am and 2.30pm on Monday. Gardai and Coillte officials also attended the fire scenes.
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The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), owns the Reserve and is home to several bird species.
A NPWS spokesperson said it is "still too early" to indicate the fire source and the extent of the area destroyed by the fires but it understood that four acres of woodland may have been affected.
Ground patrols and aerial surveillance in a bid to monitor the Reserve have been ramped up.
In a statement, gardai said: "Garda enquiries are ongoing at this time. Gardaí in Wexford are aware of a fire that occurred in the Raven Wood area of Co Wexford."
The Director General of the NPWS, Niall O’Donnchú, also asked for cooperation to protect nature.
Mr O’Donnchú urged the public to "be vigilant" and report any fire activity while Minister for Local Government Darragh O’Brien and Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan said people should avoid lighting fires or barbeques in public places, including national parks and nature reserves, coastal sand dunes, mountains and upland areas, forests, meadows and urban parks.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland Mr O’Donnchú urged the public not to light fires and to leave the BBQ at home.
He said: "It’s been a problem in recent days. Over the weekend our rangers and general operative staff in Wexford were very busy with a fire at the Raven, in Mayo and several big fires in Killarney. The appeal is do not light a fire.
"In that context I want to acknowledge the role that our staff on the ground play in detecting these fires. The first challenge is prevention, the second is detection and the third is suppression. We’ve had all of those challenges over the past number of days."
Mr O’Donnchú appealed to members of the public to contact emergency services if they notice any fires breaking out.
Meanwhile, the RNLI has urged the public to take care on the sea and waterways around the country as the weather continues to sizzle. Last year, lifeguards experienced a 155 per cent rise in paddle boarding incidents compared with 2021.
An RNLI spokesperson said that if anyone is paddle boarding they should wear a buoyancy aid, carry a phone in a waterproof pouch, wear the correct leash and avoid offshore winds.
Killian O’Kelly, Water Safety Officer with the RNLI added they have had several calls over the past couple of weeks involving boats and kayakers.
"We want people to have fun on our waters but we want them to do it safely," he said. "Stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming have become increasingly popular."
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