Killarney fires under control as questions remain over how blaze was tackled
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The three-day fire which raged through Killarney National Park was finally brought under control today but questions remain about why the county's emergency plan was not activated on Saturday and why only limited air support was initially deployed.
Kerry’s chief fire officer Andrew Macilwaith said air support had been key to bringing the fires under control with five helicopters on the scene on Monday - three Air Corps helicopters and two private including one from Scotland.
Asked why air support had been limited to just one helicopter on Saturday, Mr Macilwaith said they had requested air support on the day, and one Air Corps helicopter was sent.
“We felt it was particularly bad yesterday and requested more,” the chief fire officer said.
On the ground, 30 fire personnel from Kerry, joined by personnel from Macroom, had fought the blaze alongside wildlife rangers and operational staff of the park and colleagues who arrived from throughout Munster.
Dr Philip Buckley, divisional manager, Southern Region, of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), said the fire was “by far and away” the most extensive ever in the park’s history and would have long-term consequences. It had burnt well beyond the park limits with rare habitats, designated conservation areas, dry and wet heath have been damaged and destroyed, he said.
The NPWS had liaised with the Kerry fire service on Saturday and called in the Air Corps. It is expected the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the NPWS will be footing the bill for the air support, Dr Buckley confirmed.
A lack of availability meant one helicopter had to be ordered in from Scotland, Mr Buckley said.
However, questions were being raised locally as to why the county’s emergency plan was not activated on Saturday in a situation that saw one-third of the national park burnt and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks under threat.
The N71 road remained open while fire trucks and engines tried to negotiate their way to and from the fires. For most of the day exhausted firemen had to operate a stop-go system at the area of the Five Mile Bridge, along with tackling the fires.
The council has said it had kept the county emergency plan under review during the weekend.
Local conservationists are now calling for long-term strategies to be put in place to prevent and better tackle fires, including greater staffing, and claim that these issues have gone unaddressed for the last four decades.
Any investigation into the fire in the Killarney National Park must not be just about the cause but must address the real extent of the damage including air pollution as well as improved management of woodland, the Irish Wildlife Trust added.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan visited the scene to assess the damage.
Mr Noonan said a public campaign to educate people on their “responsibility” is being considered.
He said 2,500 to 3,000 hectares had burned in an area “of high ecological intensity” in the 10,000 hectare park and he was shocked by what he saw.
It will take significant resources to dip down into what occurred, he said.
Ecologists are being engaged to assess “the huge damage”.
The immediate response to the fire, including air response, is also going to be looked at, to find the best method going forward.
He paid tribute to the huge work done by all the services and particularly the volunteers in Killarney.
“It’s really, really sad. Nature has been our refuge over the past year,” said Mr Noonan.
Just how many of the 50 new rangers announced by him earlier – a doubling of the expected intake – to be assigned to Killarney has not been decided yet.
Minister O’Brien ruled out the idea of a bed tax or a tax on commercial activities within the Killarney National Park to help resource the park properly.
He did, however, say State resources would be committed to the park, when pressed.
Meanwhile, the impact on tourism is also being assessed today. The park is a key attraction to the region's tourism industry and any extensive damage will see a downturn in walkers and other visitors, it is feared.
“The national park is the jewel in the crown of tourism in Killarney,” president of the Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Niall Kelleher said.
Anybody who knows how the fires started has been urged by the town’s business leaders to contact gardaí.
Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce said that whoever caused the fire clearly had no regard for human life.
Although nobody was injured, Killarney mountain guide Piaras Kelly is one of a number of people who believe the fire was started deliberately.
He said: “What has happened is truly devastating on an epic scale.
Asked if the fire was started deliberately, Kerry County Council’s Chief Fire Officer Andrew Macilwaith replied: “It’s impossible to know for sure at the moment if this was started deliberately.
“We just don’t know.
“Obviously the gardaí are aware of the fire and it’s very hard to tell at this stage.” The fire, which started on Friday night at a spot off the Kenmare Road, is almost entirely out.
Killarney’s Chief Fire Officer estimates that up to 2,000 hectares of Killarney National Park has been destroyed.
Added to that is the potentially devastating impact on wildlife.
The park, which is home to a variety of rare breeds of animals and other wildlife, is in the middle of bird nesting season, as well as calving season for deer. At the height of the blaze, around 80 people were involved in fighting it.
Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce President, Niall Kelleher, said: “It is imperative now for a full investigation to be launched into the cause of this devastating incident.
“This should be not only to attempt to discover who was responsible for the carnage but to identify ways to lessen the chances of it ever happening again.
“Whether it was a carelessly discarded match, the remnants of a barbecue or bonfire or a deliberate act of vandalism that sparked the blaze, it appears it was entirely irresponsible and reckless and it shows a disregard not only for nature but for human life.
“Chamber would urge anybody with any information that may help identify what or who caused the fire to report the matter, without delay, to the authorities.” He added: “The appalling scenes witnessed during the wildfires that occurred in Killarney National Park over the weekend has caused utter devastation and real upset in Killarney.
“First-hand reports from those involved in fighting the fires, and photographic coverage and video footage showing large sections of our iconic Killarney park ablaze, have been difficult to digest and the whole episode is extremely distressing.
“Killarney National Park is the jewel in Ireland’s tourism crown and the impact the fires have had, causing extensive damage to approximately one third of the park, scorching the land and decimating wildlife, including rare and important habitats and species, has been met with shock and dismay by everybody.”