A wildfire that broke out in the Five Mile Bridge area of Killarney National Park on Tuesday evening. Photo: Valerie O’SullivanA WILDFIRE that broke out in the Five Mile Bridge area of Killarney National Park on Tuesday evening was brought under control following a rapid and coordinated response by emergency services and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff and contractors.
It is believed that the fire started sometime around 5pm. Members of the public raised the alarm promptly, enabling emergency services and NPWS personnel to mobilise quickly to the scene.
Early notification and swift action were critical in preventing the fire from developing into a more significant incident.
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Fire crews from Killarney and Kenmare responded to the incident with support from NPWS staff to contain and suppress the fire. Aerial support was also deployed, with helicopters using Bambi buckets to assist ground crews in tackling the blaze.
Eamonn Meskell, Divisional Manager NPWS added “Thanks to the rapid response and coordinated efforts of all emergency personnel, NPWS staff and dedicated fire emergency crew, Kerry Fire and Rescue Service crews, rapid aviation assistance was deployed which was very effective bringing the fire under control. We will be on site on Wednesday morning to assess the affected area and monitor for any remaining hotspots and determine whether any further firefighting operations are required.”
Minister of State with special responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, T.D., added, “This is devastating and it was started by human activity. It was completely unavoidable. We can do better than this. Thank you to the National Parks and Wildlife staff and Kerry Fire and Rescue Service and aviation crews who battled the fires in Killarney National Park.”
The affected area is estimated to be around 25 hectares in size and includes a mixture of dry heath, wet heath and blanket bog along with pockets of native old oak woodland.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service would like to acknowledge the vital role played by members of the public in reporting the fire and to thank all emergency service personnel, aviation crews, and NPWS staff involved in the response. Scroll down for photos…
The wildfire was brought under control following a rapid and coordinated response by Kerry Fire and Rescue Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff, two helicopters were deployed using Bambi buckets to assist ground crews in tackling the blaze. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan
Helicopters were deployed using Bambi buckets to assist ground crews in tackling the blaze. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan
Further assessment will be carried out on the damage today. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan
. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan
