Air Corps called in as wildfires rage in Killarney National Park
The helicopter was tasked to water-bomb a gorse fire threatening thousands of acres in the park, one of Ireland’s prime tourist attractions and home to a wide range of animal and plant life.
The helicopter was using a 1,000-litre ‘’bambi bucket’’ which was being continually refilled with water from the lakes, then dropped from the air on the fire.
Aircorp helicopter filling its 1000Ltr bambi bucket then dumping on Killarney National Park fire @radiokerrynews pic.twitter.com/3bo2Gw4xX8
— Jerry O'Sullivan (@jerosullivanRK) April 10, 2015
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The blaze, fanned by a lively breeze, was believed to be one of the largest to ever take hold inside the 26,000-acre park and was being battled by around 20 firemen from Killarney, Kenmare and Castleisland.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service advised the public to stay away from the Old Kenmare Road area of Killarney National Park which is part of the Kerry Way walking route.
“This is both for their own safety and also to ensure they do not impede the work of the emergency services,” said a spokesman.
The blaze was clearly visible from the road on the way to Ladies’ View and there were concerns at one stage it would cross the public road and threaten houses in the Black Valley area.
zzzKerryWildfiresLadysView2015_large.jpg[#embed2]
Also yesterday, units of Dublin fire brigade from Tallaght, Rathfarnham and Dun Laoghaire brought a fire at Kilakee, in the Dublin mountains, under control.
Kerry Fire and Rescue Service remained extremely busy throughout the day and last night.
Between 2.45pm on Thursday until yesterday, units responded to 23 calls to 17 incidents in 14 locations in the county. Of these incidents, 14 were wild land fires.
Yesterday, eight fire brigade units of the 10 in the county were committed to locations in Sneem, Kells, Portmagee, Dingle, Inch and the Derrycunnihy area of Killarney National Park.
The fire and rescue service renewed an appeal 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 are being put at unintended risk,” said a fire service spokesman.
“The weather can play a major and uncontrollable role with wild land fire spread. Family homes are at risk today in several of the above-mentioned areas,” he said.
Kerry Irish Farmers’ Association chairman Sean Brosnan condemned the out-of-control, illegal fires.
“As the fires are illegal, people (who set them) will not notify the fire brigade. They start the fires in the late evening and that’s not helpful,” he said.
The ban on the burning of vegetation runs from March to the end August, but Mr McCarthy said the IFA was seeking to have the season extended to April 15. February was often very wet and unsuitable for burning, he added.
Gardaí in Killarney, meanwhile, are continuing to investigate the series of fires this week.
Fires reached the boundary fences of some homes in the Mangerton area and bordering the national park, while a number of walkers were escorted to safety on Wednesday.
Up to six fires were raging in the area at the same time, damaging upwards of 100 acres.
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Exhausted crew battle raging gorse fire
Thirty-five exhausted firemen brought a raging gorse fire under control in Killarney National Park last night, after battling in tough terrain for much of the day.
The fire, in the mountains close to the Ladies’ View tourist landmark, was one of the biggest seen in many years in the 26,000-acre national park and came perilously close to native oakwoods.
There were unconfirmed reports that a section of the centuries-old oakwoods —some of the last remaining in Ireland —were damaged.
Killarney Fire Brigade station officer Mark Brady said the resources of the Kerry fire and rescue service had been fully stretched as they dealt with fires in several parts of the county.
“We’ve kept going with gorse fires almost non-stop since Wednesday. The firemen are working in very difficult and sometimes quite inaccessible conditions. It’s been flat out,’’ he added.
Killarney National Park on fire - from an Air Corps heli fighting the fires, via @defenceforces Facebook page pic.twitter.com/eLELUBo7qz
— Native Woodland Trust (@NativeWoodTrust) April 10, 2015
The fire in the Ladies’ View/Derrycunnihy area, between Killarney and Kenmare, got out of control in dry, windy conditions, at mid-day, and fire brigades from Killarney, Kenmare, and other Kerry stations rushed to the scene.
An Air Corps AW139 helicopter, from Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co Dublin, was called to assist. Using a “bambi” bucket, the helicopter scooped water from the nearby Upper Lake, and doused the fire from the air.
People were advised to stay away from the Old Kenmare Road between Kenmare and Killarney, which is part of the Kerry Way walking route.
The bucket had a 1,000-litre capacity and fire officers said the helicopter played a significant role in fighting the fire. Others involved included National Parks and Wildlife Service staff and Kerry Airport fire personnel.
Rain, which begin to fall at around 7.30pm, was also welcomed by firemen as an aid in putting out the fire.
Tourists and locals watched the blaze from the roadside viewing area at Ladies’ View, with the work of the helicopter adding to the spectacle.
Large sections of the mountain _ seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors on the Ring of Kerry _ have been damaged and blackened in recent, illegally-set fires.
There were times during the week when six, or seven fires were blazing in the same area of mountain, as happened on Mangerton, outside Killarney, on Wednesday. The fires spread over several kilometres.
At one stage yesterday, eight of Kerry’s fire brigade units were fighting gorse fires.
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