Number of gorse fires in Kerry down by 45%

The number of gorse fires in Kerry decreased by 45% last year.

That’s according to figures compiled by Chief Fire Officer for Kerry, Andrew Macilwraith; they cover from January to the end of November.

The details were presented to members of Kerry County Council recently.

During the 11-month period last year there were 113 gorse fires; that’s a decrease of 45% when compared to the same period in 2021 when there were 206 gorse fires.

There was also a decrease in the number of chimney fires last year.

There were 68 chimney fires last year, compared to 87 for the same period in 2021; a drop of 22%.

Between January to the end of November, the Kerry Fire Service was mobilised over 1,200 times; a rise of over 6% on the previous year.