THE out of control wildfires that ripped through Killarney National Park in recent days have destroyed well over 4,000 acres and wiped out animal and plant life.
Authorities left dealing with the devastating aftermath insist that 4,000 acres could still be a very conservative estimate as so much property in the uplands of the park has been completely scorched.
Contrary to reports elsewhere, the blaze was actually sparked in the Kilgarvan area and, fuelled by dry weather conditions, it spread at a ferocious rate across the mountainside, causing consternation at the rear of Derrycunnihy Church and spreading to the area around Tomies mountain.
Exhausted firefighters, who are after enduring one of their most demanding ever weeks, had no option but to summon back-up from the Air Corps to prevent the blaze from completely engulfing the national park.
A helicopter spent several hours spraying the park with 20,000 litres of water, refilling its attached carrier constantly from the Lakes of Killarney, but it took the late Friday evening rainfall to eventually quench the blaze.
“Only for the rain, we’d still be there,” one fire service member told KillarneyToday.com this Saturday.
Authorities have indicated that while the illegal burning of gorse by landowners was the main cause of the recent outbreaks, it is believed that some of the fires are being sparked in remote areas in deliberate acts of arson.
“Something just doesn’t add up. There are not that many farmers burning gorse every day and the fires are breaking out all over the place, including at the side of the road,” a source said.
The Kerry Fire and Rescue Service has appealed to land and commonage rights owners to exercise extreme caution with fire and never to engage in burning without notifying its regional control centre in advance.
“Human lives and family homes are being put at risk,” a spokesman said.
The fires of recent days are the worst seen in Killarney for over 30 years and fire crews remain on standby in case of further outbreaks in the coming days.
