While at work as a lorry driver in County Louth and his wife working in Antrim, Mr McMahon received a call from his neighbour alerting him of the fire nearing his home. The concerned homeowner stated that the firefighters were already at the location and were trying to get their animals to safety and protect their property.

After rushing home, Mr McMahon began to move the couple’s horses, goats, and pet cats out of danger as firefighters fought to contain and drive the fires away. The couple, who had moved into the house only six months prior, were able to move their animals safely into their neighbour’s surrounding fields, using the boots of their cars to transfer the animals.

Mr McMahon stated that the entire scene was “just mayhem”, with fires ranging as high as the heights of the trees and an obscene amount of smoke covering the area. “There was so much smoke I was floating – I didn’t know what was happening really”, said Mr McMahon.

Roughly 40 firefighters and 29 fire appliances were sent to the scene, and they were able to dampen the fires threatening Mr McMahon’s property. Once everything was settled, Mr McMahon stated that he “owed everything” to the firefighters who helped save his home and animals.

Following the recent fires, Sinn Féin MP for South Down Chris Hazzard called for a review of the law regarding burning vegetation and lands in Northern Ireland in hopes of decreasing wildfires during periods of high temperatures and long dry spells.