Public warned after sand dunes fire in Kerry

Anne Lucey

A sudden sand dune fire in the rare ecosystem of the Maharees on Tuesday could have spread all along the tombola but for the huge community effort.

However, the public are being warned to be especially cautious given the dry conditions on all coastal dunes in Kerry which has created ‘tinder box’ conditions.

It is not known what caused the fire on the dunes in the Maharees, but a member of the conservation association in the Maharees there has asked the public to be especially cautious around cigarettes, campfires and faulty vapes on dunes.

‘The marram grass is so dry, it is like a tinder box,’ Hugh Roberts said this morning.

More than volunteers from bar staff to surfing school personnel rushed to the scene after smoke was spotted rising from the dunes at around 12.30.

Luckily the wind was low yesterday as a high wind would have furthered the spread, Mr Roberts told Radio Kerry..

The fire service arrived quickly. However, the volunteers from Spillane’s Bar, the Maharees two surfing schools, along with visitors and local farmers all helped contained the spread.

‘We are hoping that the dunes will recover. Around three acres have been burned,’ he said of the damage to the dunes.

Remarkable work has been carried out on the dunes since storm surges of a decade ago threatened the whole tombola area, one of the country’s longest sandy beaches and a Special Area of Conservation.

Extreme winters and rising ocean levels threatened to wash away the sand and Kerry County Council were constantly on hand to clear the roads of sand. The Maharees Conservation Association was formed and planting of marram grass was begun in earnest in 2016.

Fencing with chestnut is also taking place and access points clearly marked so trampling on the dunes is restricted. The council is now very rarely called out to clear sand as the dunes have stabilised.

The public is also asked not to climb or camp on the dunes because of conservation concerns but also for safety. A tragic dune collapse in the summer of 2012 took the life of 19-year-old Cork woman and student Niamh McCarthy from Minane Bridge despite frantic efforts to save her.