A forest fire in the Wild Nephin National Park in Co Mayo has been controlled, after a day-long effort by a range of agencies.
The fire, near the Letterkeen trail in the north Mayo park, took several hours to bring under control.
Mayo Fire Service crews worked with personnel from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Coillte to deal with the blaze, which destroyed several hundred acres of forestry.
An Aer Corps helicopter was used through the afternoon to douse the flames. Additional assistance was provided by Executive Helicopters, with specially designed buckets being used to dump thousands of litres of water onto burning foliage.
The fire has been largely extinguished.
NPWS staff will monitor the situation over the coming days to ensure it does not reignite.
The remote location, as well as the geography of the area in question, meant access to the worst impacted parts of the Park was difficult for most of the day.
It is thought the fire started on an approach road at around 2am this morning.
It came just 48 hours after another incident elsewhere in Park, which resulted in the loss of a specially designed boardwalk, which had been installed to cater for those with reduced mobility, as well as other visitors to the area.
The Claggan Mountain Coastal Trail is expected to remain closed for the remainder of the year, given the extent of the damage caused by Friday night's fire there.
Niall Ó Donnchú, Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service said: "Anyone who engages in this reckless, senseless behaviour should carefully consider the consequences of their actions, and will be subject to the full rigour of the law."
The Minister of State for Heritage and Biodiversity said the incidents were a devastating reminder of the fragility of the natural world.
Christopher O'Sullivan said there was an onus on all citizens to act with greater care and responsibility to protect biodiversity and important amenities.
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