A LARGE FIRE is currently burning in Killarney National Park, with people being urged to stay away from the area.

The fire brigade is currently at the scene alongside staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The fire has been burning since early this morning.

To combat the fire, emergency services have used a helicopter to douse the flames using water from a nearby lake.

Kerry Mayor, Patrick Connor-Scarteen, said that “the next two hours are crucial” in fighting the fire, due to the high temperatures and the windy conditions in the area.

Connor-Scarteen said that there are concerns that it might spread, but to his knowledge, there are no domestic dwellings affected by the fire.

According to Connor-Scarteen, people shouldn’t be lighting fires within the national park, and he expressed his disappointment at the destroyed habitats of local wildlife

“It’s shocking and sad to see so much wildlife destroyed.”

Emergency services gather in Killarney National Park Patrick Connor-Scarteen Patrick Connor-Scarteen

In a statement on Twitter, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage urged people to stay away from areas of the park that have been affected by the blaze.

The Department has also asked people to exercise caution when driving on the N71 due to emergency services in the area, with a potential for poor visibility due to smoke.

1. A large fire & very serious is burning in Killarney National Park. @npwsBioData staff & the Fire Brigade are currently on site dealing with the incident. We are asking members of the public to avoid areas of the Park listed below until further notice: pic.twitter.com/3DdDiL8wZj

— Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage (@DeptHousingIRL) April 24, 2021

Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan appealed to the public to not light fires in national parks and to be wary of the danger of open fires.

“I would appeal to all members of the public to be conscious of the danger posed by fire – any fire – but particularly a fire on open ground which can very quickly get out of control,” said Noonan.

 ”We have all seen how homes and lives can be threatened and we can also see the damage to the landscape and to valuable habitats caused by uncontrolled fires.”

Both Connor-Scarteen and Noonan thanked the emergency services for their work in fighting the fire.

The cause of the fires is currently being investigated by the Department alongside other agencies.