Plea for vigilance as gorse fires 'putting strain' on Kerry fire services

As well as risks to forestry and wildlife, units are often taken away from urban locations to deal with blazes in rural hillsides

Gorse fires have been raging in Killarney.

The scourge of gorse fires blighting the Irish landscape has returned with a vengeance, with reports all across the country of blazes pockmarking vital areas of biodiversity.

The fire service in Kerry said it has been put under “enormous strain” battling gorse fires and preventing them from reaching homes and destroying forestry and wildlife.