THE LARGE FIRE that has been raging in Killarney National Park has been extinguished.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service told TheJournal.ie that it began to rain last night at about 8.30pm, and by 9.30pm the fire was extinguished.
The Air Corps, local firefighters, Kerry County Council, Civil Defence and Shannon Air Rescue were all involved in the effort to put out the blaze.
The fire is believed to be one of the largest to ever take hold inside the park, mainly due to the dry conditions.
Members of the public were urged to stay away from this part of the park.
Staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service were also on the ground to help out.
Now that the fire has been extinguished, park rangers are on the ground assessing the damage to the 1000-hectare site that was hit by the flames.
It was mainly peatland that was burned. Initial analysis of the scene suggests that hundreds of trees, including oak, holly and arbutus trees, have been scorched. Some important habitats have been temporarily lost.
More detailed inspections will be carried out in the coming days to assess the full damage.
Minister Heather Humphreys thanked all those involved for their work in tackling the major fire, and said she expects to receive a detailed report on the damage next week.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say