Calls for landowners to 'cease and desist' from setting fires

Pictures posted on twitter of gorse fires in Cork and Kerry

Firefighters have issued an immediate "cease and desist" warning to landowners about the setting of controlled fires.

It follows a surge in call-outs to wildfires across Cork over the weekend and a massive blaze in Killarney National Park on Sunday night.

Under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to set controlled fires in an attempt to clear scrub or vegetation from March 1 to September 1.

But the Cork County Fire Service said it has had to task fire fighting crews from Bantry, Castletownbere, Schull, Skibbereen, Dunmanway, Midleton, Macroom, Mallow and Fermoy Fire Brigades, to tackle several gorse or outdoor fires in the region since last Thursday.

In a social media post, the service said its emergency communications centres will no longer accept details from callers about any planned or controlled burns from now on.

"These fires can draw important fire brigade resources away from responding to other emergency calls, especially at this current time when our resources may be required elsewhere," it said.

But it said it is always ready to attend emergency calls.

It advised those who live in areas prone to gorse fires to remove gorse and dead vegetation from around buildings, oil tanks, fences, forestry and poles in order to reduce the risk of losses arising out of any potential gorse fires that may occur.

A firefighter tackling a gorse fire in Cork. Picture: Cork County Fire Service.

Two gorse fires in West Cork last Thursday night prompted a direct reminder from Agriculture Minster Michael Creed, and the Mayor of Cork County Cllr Ian Doyle, about the wildlife laws governing controlled burning.

But the call-outs to gorse fires in the south surged over the weekend.

Firefighters in Kerry spent several hours on Sunday night tackling a massive blaze in Killarney National Park. An estimated 150-acres of land have been damaged.

The NPWS said such blazes present an annual threat to the park, and to the safety of residents, visitors, fire-fighters and wildlife.

Kerry County Council has now warned people against the setting of illegal gorse fires and it has urged the public not to place any additional strain on emergency services at a time of national crisis.

But one man who is very familiar with Killarney National Park issues said farmers should be left to manage their own land.

The local, who asked not to be named, said in previous years, many small fires were set so that land was managed and growth was kept low.

“Nowadays the farmer fears burning, only lighting a fire every two or three years, resulting in a larger fire, The location last night hadn’t been burnt in 12 years,” he said.

“That’’s why deer are coming down to lowlands, they can’’t travel the high ground anymore as it’’s too dense. That’’s reality."

The NPWS said it has deployed electronic and other surveillance methods near national parks and reserves in a bid to stamp out illegal fires.

The Department of Agriculture has also activated its Fire Danger Rating System and has advised forest owners and managers to ensure their fire plans and other relevant contingencies such as insurance, firebreaks, access and water points, and helicopter contracts are up to date.