Firefighters in 13 hour battle to put out haybarn blaze in Tralee

FIREFIGHTERS spent almost 13 hours battling a night-time blaze in a hay barn on the outskirts of Tralee on Friday.

The blaze broke out in a barn close to the Tralee bypass and smoke from the fire led to extremely poor visibility and hazardous conditions for motorists travelling on the ring-road.

Some 270 wrapped bales of hay were in the barn when the fire broke out shortly after 2.30am on Friday morning.

Kerry Fire Service was notified by passing motorists who had spotted the fire and three units from Tralee Fire Brigade were dispatched to the scene.

It took the fire service close to 13 hours to fully extinguish the fire with the blaze finally quenched shortly before 3.30pm on Friday afternoon.

The operation was described by the Kerry Fire Service as extensive, lengthy and complicated due to the fact that each of the bales had to be individually removed from the barn and then doused with water.

Gardaí were also involved in the operation with officers posted to the nearby bypass to slow traffic and ensure motorists’ safety in the heavy smoke that was being blown straight across the busy roadway.

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown but it is currently being investigated by gardaí and fire officers who are continuing to examine the scene.