State bodies give conflicting estimates of wildfire damage in Killarney

Conflicting estimates of damage caused by a spate of gorse fires in Killarney National Park have been given by statutory bodies.

Arts and Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys said her officials had indicated more than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) had been affected, causing serious damage to habitats and wildlife and thousands of euro in material damage to park infrastructure, over the weekend of April 11.

However, Kerry County Council estimates around 4,500 acres have been burned in the 26,000-acre park, with large swathes of scenic landscape now bare and blackened as the tourist season gets under way.