Units from the Killarney fire service are battling a large gorse fire adjacent to Killarney National Park.
The fire broke out shortly after 7pm on an area of commonage at the foot of Mangerton mountain which has been the scene of serious fires in recent years, some of which have threatened the forestry of the national park.
Firefighters are attempting to keep the fire from the woodlands, hundreds of metres away.
Earlier today the Department of Agriculture issued a red alert warning of extreme fire risk to forestry because of the low humidity over Ireland and easterly airflows.
The fire on in Killarney appears to have been lit into the wind and carried along towards the slopes of the mountain.
Fire tenders are refueling from streams close to the mountain.
