News
“It was the biggest fire I have ever seen – the shoes were burnt off us” – farmer
By Michelle Crean
The fires in the Black Valley almost had a devastating impact on homes, a school, the local church - and even left animals severely scorched. In his 75 years farming the land, Gene Tangney said he had never seen a fire so bad and that "the shoes were burnt off of us".
Gene, who lives near Lord Brandon's Cottage at Gerahmeen up by the Upper Lake, became aware of the fire early on Saturday morning and he and his sons Patrick, Niall, Eugene and Donnacha as well as his neighbours, spent hours helping fire fighters tackle the flames on the ground and had to drive the animals through the flames - so much so that some were left black and scorched.
He told the Killarney Advertiser that he was hugely concerned for his animals as strong winds brought the fire across the Long Range River twice. He even rescued one sheep by boat. The ewe was in labour and later gave birth to a lamb.
"It went to the Eagle's Nest and the Glena Mountain then the Purple Mountain into my land. Then it landed in to the Black Valley on Sunday. It spread very fast when it got there and got close to the houses and the church. There were a lot of fire fighters on the ground and a brigade of men on the mountains."
The danger, he explained, was not so much the fires on the ground - but the furs which were flying through the air with the strong winds which could have left them with serious burns.
"You'd a strong wind behind this fire - the fire was highly dangerous. It could change in seconds and blow in to your face. We were all frightened. We had to mind ourselves with the wind as furs were flying through the air - next thing the fur, which was alight, could land down on your head. The shoes got burnt off of us," he said.
"We were exhausted because we had three days of it. Some sheep got scorched as we had to drive them through the fire and we rescued a lot of sheep. You have to see it to understand it. The fire fighters did a good job, they saved the house and lots of the fencing."
The aftermath for Gene and other farmers in the area is blackened lands and animals who have no where to graze. He now faces "a longer winter" paying for a least an extra month of feed for them.
"It looks very bad, everything is black. If we get mild weather and growth at least it would ease the pocket a bit. It's going to be very costly."
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