A fire at a grain storage facility in Cork Harbor has been brought under control and firefighters are continuing the situation.
The port of Cork confirmed just before 11am that a fire in the R&H Hall grain storage facility at the deepwater bed at Ringaskiddy was now under control.
It is said that no reports were received of any casualties resulting from the fire which was spotted around 08:40.
In a statement, R&H Hall thanked emergency services and the port of Cork. team for their prompt response and continued management of the incident.
“We also want to apologize to local residents, surrounding businesses and our customers for the inconvenience caused by the incident,” it said after residents were advised to keep all doors and windows closed and stay indoors. Saturday morning’s fire caused large clouds of dark smoke to rise high over Ringaskiddy that was visible throughout Cork Harbor.
Firefighters remained at the scene to monitor the situation, but all shipping operations in Ringaskiddy were suspended as a precaution.
Earlier, a major emergency plan was activated by the port company while firefighters fought the fire.
Cork fire
This morning we received several reports of a large fire in the Ringaskiddy area. Be extremely careful in the environment as smoke can obstruct vision. pic.twitter.com/SYJ9oT5WLx
– Cork Safety Alerts (@CorkSafetyAlert) 9 January 2021
A fire broke out at the R&H Hall grain store on the Ringaskiddy Deepwater Berth. Emergency services are on site and the port emergency plan has been activated. Locals are advised to keep all doors and windows closed and stay indoors.
– Port of Cork #Keepingtheshowontheroad (@PortofCork) 9 January 2021
In a statement, the port of Cork said the fire was “under control and there are no reports of any casualties. Emergency services remain on site to monitor the area. As a precautionary measure, all shipping operations in Ringaskiddy have been suspended until further notice”.
The alarm was raised at 8:33 a.m. and three Cork County Fire Service units from Crosshaven, Carrigaline and Midleton responded and rushed to the scene.
According to a spokesperson for the port of Cork, the company has started its main emergency plan because they are assessing the fire and the risk it poses.
‘The fire service is of course taking the lead and we will work closely with them to assess the risk that the fire poses in the area.
“We will therefore look at whether any of the other companies or properties near the fire site should be evacuated, depending on the risk it poses.”
The Port of Cork emergency plan also involves assessing whether the fire poses a risk to shipping and other activities in the terminal area in Ringaskiddy.
The port of Cork is currently finalizing the development of a new € 80 million container terminal on a 13.5-hectare site in Ringaskiddy in the lower harbor.
There are a number of pharmaceutical companies in the Ringaskiddy area, but it is not believed that any one had to be evacuated as the fire is currently limited.
It is understood that the R&H Hall building is quite large and is used to store animal feed, but it is not thought that there are large staff numbers on the premises.
Ringaskiddy was the scene of a major fire more than 25 years ago when an explosion at the Hicksons Chemical plant led to a major emergency operation.
Pressure built up in a vessel on 5 August 1993 caused it to explode, but fortunately no one was seriously injured in the incident.
Two staff members sustained minor injuries during the explosion and the ensuing fire, but millions of euros worth of damage was done and the plant was closed for a period.