The Government is considering a ban on disposable barbecues after one nearly caused “absolute devastation” in County Kerry. 

This morning, firefighters battled a blaze that covered 25 acres of the world famous Killarney National Park. 

On Lunchtime Live, Minister for Nature Christopher O’Sullivan praised the “incredible efforts” of those who extinguished the blaze, noting that the dry conditions meant that it “really took off”. 

While staff are still surveying the park, Minister O’Sullivan said he feared it has caused “devastation” to ground nesting birds.

“We're in July now, you'll have some bird species - like Meadow Pippin and Skylark - they might be on their second broods and those could be sitting on eggs,” he said. 

“Or you could have young birds that have just fledged. 

“Unfortunately, we're still assessing the ecological damage, but we know that many of these birds will have been impacted.”

A skylark perched on a branch of a small bush. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

The Fianna Fáil TD added that the blaze was just a few metres away from a cluster of Ireland’s last remaining ancient oaks, which would have caused “absolute devastation”.

Reason for the fire 

While the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be determined, Minister O’Sullivan said it is overwhelmingly likely that a disposable barbecue is to blame. 

“I know climate change is an issue, but we've had periods of hot weather before and this hasn't been as big an issue as it is now,” he said. 

“We're fairly certain - and we can't categorically confirm yet - that the start point of this fire was one of these disposable barbecues, which are an absolute scourge.” 

The Cork South West TD said the Government is “going to have to do something” about them and pleaded with people not to use them. 

“I'd urge shops not to sell them in the meantime,” he said. 

“While that's happening, especially during this period, we will look at different approaches that we can to potentially control the use of these - especially during hot weather.”

Main image: A fire in Killarney National Park. Picture by: Alamy.com.