Barbecue fire burns 20 hectares in Killarney Park

A major wildfire, believed to have been ignited by a discarded disposable barbecue, burned approximately 20 hectares of land in Killarney National Park in County Kerry this week. The fire, which broke out on the evening of Tuesday, July 14, prompted a large-scale emergency response involving multiple fire brigades, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) personnel, and aerial water drops before being contained late that night.

The alarm was raised by members of the public around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, enabling a rapid mobilization of resources. Fire crews from Killarney, Kenmare, and Killorglin stations responded, working alongside NPWS teams on the ground. Two helicopters equipped with water buckets were deployed, extracting water from nearby Lough Leane to douse the flames. The fire was finally brought under control by 10:30 p.m. that evening. A section of the N71 Ring of Kerry road between Molls Gap and Muckross House was closed during the operation and reopened intermittently throughout Wednesday as crews remained on site for safety checks and preventative damping of nearby dry woodland.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan...