Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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110. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if fire belts will be put in place to divide up the 27,000 acres in Killarney National Park following the recent fires. [23059/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The fires in Killarney National Park at the weekend before last were a tragedy.

The staff in the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department, the Air Corps, The Civil Defence Fire Service, Kerry Water Rescue, both Executive and Celtic Helicopter companies and volunteers put their lives on the line to quench these flames, and while there were no casualties this time, the consequences for these teams could have been fatal.

Significant and immediate cross-Departmental, cross-agency and intense public private cooperative operations were implemented at the weekend. Public Services, private companies and volunteers rallied together and worked non-stop to halt the spread of the flames, both physically on-site and in an administrative capacity.

Preliminary mapping by NPWS staff has shown that that in excess of 2500 hectares, half the terrestrial area of the park, of priority habitat has been extensively damaged by this fire, as well as having severe localised impact on flora and fauna. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the NPWS will be following up with authorities including the Kerry Fire Services to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the blaze. One of the main challenges is to encourage members of the public, (including landowners, farmers and recreational users of publicly accessible land), to act responsibly at all times, to be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, to be mindful of the need to protect property, both publicly owned and privately owned and to appreciate the value of our natural heritage, particularly in our National Parks, Nature Reserves and Designated (Natura 2000) Sites.

With regard to the question of firebreaks, as stated above, my Department is assessing the impacts of the fire and will be assessing the best means for wildfire control, over such a large area, in consultation with experts.