A massive fire destroyed at least two large warehouses along
the Port of Cork, Ireland waterfront as well as disrupting operations at the
deep water harbor over the weekend. While firefighters were able to bring the
fire under control on Saturday morning with no injuries, they remained on scene
dealing with hot spots and potential flare ups to the fire over the weekend.
The fire was reported shortly before 9:00 am on January 9 in
a grain storage facility adjacent to one of the deep water berths at the port.
Fire crews responded from surrounding communities while plums of smoke rose
over the port. Local residents were assured they were in no danger, but were
advised to keep their windows closed.
The port’s emergency plan was in operation during the fire.
At its peak all harbor operations were suspended, but later in the day some
operations were restored. However, the ocean docks for the containerships did
not resume operation until Sunday and even then, there were reports of
lingering smoke conditions on the docks.
Cork County Council would like to reassure her members of
the public that this is a standard approach to managing an incident such as
this, which involves natural, organic animal feed.
The operators of the animal feed operation reported that
they had seven employees working at the site and that no one was injured. They
apologized to the local residents and neighboring businesses. In a statement
posted to social media, R&H Hall, thanked the emergency services and the
Port of Cork for "their quick response and ongoing management of the
incident. ”
Firefighters reported that the facility was heavily damaged.
They were continuing to hose down the outside of the buildings while also
investigating the source of the fire. Local media reported the fire department
was looking at whether a conveyor belt used to transport animal feed between
buildings could have been the source of the fire.