FIRE SERVICES STRETCHED TO LIMIT AS HILLS BLAZE
FLAMES came within 30m of a house in Ballyheigue as firefighters battled gorse fires in North Kerry while most of the people of Kerry were indoors during Storm Emma.
The fire in Ballyheigue took hold last Wednesday evening and raged for more than 24 hours as fire crews attempted to keep nearby properties safe.
At one stage at least two properties were in danger in the area with flames coming within 30m of one of the two properties.
Crews remained battling the Ballyheigue blaze during Storm Emma after the 4pm red alert weather warning deadline.
Fires have also raged in Ballybunion and Listowel as landowners burned gorse ahead of the March 1 deadline.
In total Kerry Fire Service was called to 55 gorse fires from February 18 until March 1, when the spring/summer ban on gorse burning came into effect.
Crews also attended fires in Ballinskelligs, Caherdaniel, Dingle, Kilcummin, Boolteens and Inch during the past two weeks.
Kerry Fire Service has warned that resources are being stretched to fight wildfires, leaving crews unavailable to attend to other serious incidents.
FIREFIGHTERS in Kerry were out fighting Gorse Fires across the county during Storm Emma in what was one of the busiest period for wildfires in recent years.
From February 18 until March 2 there was 55 call-out in Kerry to Gorse Fires to Ballinskelligs, Cahersiveen, Inch, Boolteens, Ballybunion, Ballyheigue and Dingle.
While it is legal to burn gorse up until March 1, firefighters said the past week had been one of the busiest periods in recent years for out-of-control wildfires.
On Thursday as the whole county prepared to batten down the hatches ahead of Storm Emma’s arrival, hard-pressed fire crews were battling blazes in Ballyheigue and Ballinskelligs – both of which threatened property in the area.
The fire in Ballyheigue took hold on Wednesday and raged for more than 24 hours, coming within 30m of one property in the area.
Two properties were in danger from the blaze and fire crews remained in Ballyheigue until late Thursday evening as they attempted to bring the fire under control.
On the other side of the county crews battled a fire in Ballinskelligs, one of a number which took place in southwest Kerry over the past week in a glut that placed fire crews under severe pressure.
“They were out battling the gorse fires while the red alert was in place and then all crews had to go on standby for the duration of the weather warning,” senior assistant chief fire officer, Vincent Hussey said.
The huge number of calls out in the past two weeks have put fire crews under intense pressure as they attempt to control raging gorse fires across Kerry.
The huge amount of manpower needed meant that if a serious incident such as a road accident or domestic fire had occured, crews would have had to have to come from outside the county to attend it or crews would have to be called from the mountains to attend the blaze.
Last year there was 174 call-outs to Kerry Fire Service but this year in just two weeks there has been 55 call-outs this year – one third of all call-outs last year.
In the same period there was 5 in 2016. However much of these figures are related to weather conditions during this time of year.
Conditions had become very dry allowing for farmers to burn gorse prior to the March 1 date during the legal burning season.
“We have been very busy. It is within season for burning until March 1 but the fires have to be controlled but they don’t seem to be,” he said.
“Crews shouldn’t be out battling gorse fires when more serous incidents need to be attended.
“The danger is we can’t get to other incidents,” Mr Hussey said.
From now until August 31 it is illegal to burn gorse and we are urging landowners to heed this and not burn gorse.