Sligo Fire Service have been dealing with numerous forestry, gorse and industrial fires in the past week, the most recent being yesterday’s recycling plant fire.
The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council has praised firefighters in Sligo who have been working ‘around the clock’ treating fires in the county.
Cathaoirleach Tom MacSharry said “In the last week we have seen further evidence of this outstanding professionalism and courage from our fire crews , who have been working in challenging and often dangerous conditions in treating incidents if fire all over the county.”
In West Sligo, large fires threatened people and their homes. Firefighters from the North West region assisted Sligo in dealing with the incidents and evacuated people from their homes which were threatened by fire.
Fire crews from counties Mayo, Leitrim and Donegal also assisted Sligo County Fire Service.
Yesterday, all four units of Sligo Fire Service dealt with a major blaze at a recycling plant in Sligo town. The fire started early yesterday evening at the Greenstar Recycling facility at Deepwater Quay, Finisklin. Extensive damage was caused to the facility.
Sligo County Council issued a notice for people to avoid the area and for householders to close all windows and doors and not make any trips to the area of the fire.
Large plumes of thick smoke could be seen from many miles outside of Sligo town as firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control.
Several fire appliances from fire stations in Sligo Town (SO11), Ballymoate (SO12) and Tubbercurry (SO13) were at the scene while water tankers and an Hydraulic Platform from Sligo attended with assistance of an additional Hydraulic Platform from Carrick-on-Shannon (LM21), Co. Leitrim were at the scene.
Over the past week or so, the fire service were also dealing with forestry and gorse fires in the county. The N59 Sligo-Ballina road was closed over the weekend as firefighters dealt with incidents at Culleens and the Irish Air Corps and Mayo Fire Service also assisted Sligo Fire Service at various gorse and forestry fires at Easkey, Doorly Park and Cains Wood, Drumbaun, Co. Sligo.
Sligo County Council’s Director of Services, Tom Kilfeather, commended Acting Chief Fire Officer Marian Coakley and firefighters from Sligo and surrounding counties for their work.
Mr. Kilfeather said “Emergency services personnel perform a critical and highly valued service to our communities. In protecting life and property they literally put their own lives at risk, as indeed occurred in recent days when one of the fire crew required urgent medical assistance, and is thankfully making a full recovery due to the prompt actions of his colleagues and the medical team”.
Fire crews remain on the scene of the recycling plant fire in Sligo town this morning.
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Scene of fire in Sligo. Pic: Courtesy: Sligo County Council
