The High Cost Of Cheap Barbecues

Bray Head THURS28MAY26

hen the smoke looked like it was about to engulf Bray Head entirely yesterday afternoon, the local fire brigade knew they had a job on their hands.

But as they managed to get that fire under control, a second had already started just 100 metres away.

Turns out both were started by disposable barbecues, one Guide reader witnessing from their boat two young men on the old slip path to The Cliff House Hotel scarpering as the flames from one went beyond their control.

We’ve been here before, of course. And sometimes, these Bray Head fires can last for days.

Whatever about the weather, it’s the heather you have to consider when it’s this hot and dry, and the gorse spreads out for miles.

Disposable barbecues are notoriously dangerous in such conditions, the trays reaching massive temperatures and staying hot for hours. They can destroy property long after the cooking is done.

Such prolonged intense heat means that even placing them in a bin can be dangerous.

And they might just be the no.1 culprit when it comes to wildfires, in woods, on dry grass, and up on Bray Head.

So, if you’re thinking of having yourself a little picnic or a party outdoors when the sun is splitting the sky, it might be wise to go cold turkey on the BBQ front. Or cold ham. Or just coleslaw.

Of course, if you’re the sort of eejit who doesn’t quite grasp any of the above, best to just have a sandwich on a slab of concrete somewhere with a tap nearby.

Below is an example of just how fast and how wide wildfires on Bray Head can spread, courtesy of Skycam Ireland back in 2016…