Up to 100 people have attended a public meeting in west Roscommon tonight to discuss the recent forest fire.
Hundreds of acres of forestry and bogland was destroyed in the blaze in Gortaganny and the surrounding area two weeks ago.
Tonight's meeting is taking place in Marian Hall in Gortaganny, and it's attended by local politicians.
It's being chaired by Seamus Crawley, the chairman of Gortaganny Community Development, who welcomed the crowd to the meeting.
He said supports are needed for the forestry owners whose lands were destroyed.
Local Fianna Fáil TD Martin Daly says the fire was devastating for the community.
He said we are lucky there was no loss of life and that homes weren't destroyed also.
He said an assessment of the damage is currently being carried out by state agencies, and a decision will then be made on supports.
Sinn Fein TD Claire Kerrane said she's devastated at the damage done - and supports are urgently needed.
She said she knows landowners who have lost acres of forestry, planted many, many years ago.
She said Taoiseach Micheál Martin has told her he will engage with his ministers over it.
She said Castlerea fire station, closed since 2017, needs to reopen.
She said she understands a lot of the forestry destroyed was not insured, but that doesn't matter - she said support is needed anyway.
Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice said the agriculture ministers need to get involved, along with Coillte, Roscommon County Council and the National Parks and Wildfire Service.
Deputy Fitzmaurice said, in the past 50 years, this bog has burned four times. He said the blazes were frightening.
He said forestry should not be allowed within a certain distance of houses.
He said the smoke from the blazes is very harmful, describing it as a "deathtrap ready to happen".
He said we don't want people left 20 nights without electricity, nor forests burned. He said that's why it's vital there are proper setback distances between forestry and people's homes.
Local Fine Gael senator Gareth Scahill said he had been liaising with the relevant ministers, speaking to Junior Heritage and Local Government Minister Christopher O'Sullivan this evening.
He said the minister told him he is awaiting an assessment of the damage to be completed.
Senator Scahill said the minister told him he would "not be found wanting" in relation to restoring the special area of conservation, which was damaged in the fire.
He said he spoke to Forestry Minister Michael Healy-Rae today, who told him he is willing to come down to the area to meet a delegation from the community and assess the damage.
Mr Crawley replied: "If Minister Healy-Rae comes down and brings a small amount of the money he brings to Kerry, we'll be very happy."
Local councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice said it was one of the worst fires he has ever seen, having witnessed it two weeks ago.
He said Castlerea fire station closed in 2017, adding: "It shouldn't have."
He said he's been pushing for it to reopen, but when he raised the issue at a recent meeting of Roscommon County Council, he did not get a good response from management of the local authority.
He added: "It's something that must return to our town."
Councillor Fitzmaurice suggested going forward, there should be large ponds in our bogs, which fire services can pump water from, if there is a repeat.
He said the government must step in and help landowners.
He said a "scooper-plane" is needed for Ireland, which would carry a large amount of water and help quench fires quicker.
He concluded by reiterating his call for Castlerea fire station to reopen.
Councillor Sean Moylan, from Fianna Fáil, says all councillors in Roscommon support this call.
He said he lives in Tulsk, and there are two fire services nearby - Elphin and Roscommon town - and that a fire service could reach his area within nine minutes if there's a blaze. He said a similar service is needed for west Roscommon.
Councillor Moylan said he's involved in forestry himself and sympathised with all of those affected recently.
Councillor Ruth Conboy, from Fine Gael, commended the local community on their resilience after the fire.
She said this area has experienced a lot of "hits", from fires to flooding, and landowners must be looked after.
She also called for Castlerea fire station to reopen, saying the amount of money that will need to be spent on repairing damage after the recent fire in west Roscommon is much higher than it would be to restore Castlerea fire services.
Ballintubber councillor Michael Holland said he supports the people of Gortaganny. He said he's heartened that four Oireachtas members are here tonight. He said it's a disgrace Castlerea fire station remains closed.
Niall Cribbon, from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, said about 90 per cent of the special area of conservation in the area was destroyed or badly affected by the recent fire. He said he arrived at that conclusion after an initial assessment.
He said the National Parks and Wildlife Service is available to do whatever it can to help.
He said, if we all work together, we can get things back to close to the way they were before the fire.
Former politician Eugene Murphy said the Irish government must support private forestry owners, adding: "Throughout most of Europe, governments do help when fires destroy forests."
A local garda said any support the force can give to the community, they will.
She said the fire itself is under investigation from Castlerea garda station. She commended the attendance for their community spirit.
Enda Caulfield, from Ballyhaunis fire station, said on the day of the fire, he was offered food and tea by the community, which he very much appreciated.
He said we have never seen a fire like it before, noting the dry conditions, etc.
He said he would like to see Castlerea fire station to reopen.
Concluding the meeting, Seamus Crawley, the chairman of Gortaganny Community Development, said he welcomed the commitments from local politicians.
He said another meeting will be held when there are further updates.
He said the fire has affected people physically and psychologically.
