Fire off c link road was licensed

A fire close to the C Link road in Mullingar this morning was situated on private land, and was lit under the provisions of a licence granted by the Department of the Environment, the Examiner has learned.

Smoke from the fire could be seen over a wide area of the town and initially there were fears a major facility on the western outskirts of the town had been set alight.

Fortunately it transpired that the fire emanated from timber which had been felled on the land and was purposely set alight. A second, adjoining pile of timber was also due to be lit later, the landowner told the Examiner.

One fire tender from the Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service was tasked to the scene but left shortly afterwards on learning that it was a controlled blaze.

As people gathered at the C Link to observe the blaze, gardaí also monitored the fire scene for a time.