Carrigaline fire damages homes as councillor condemns onlookers filming blaze for social media

Irish Examiner

16 hours ago

A large fire that damaged homes in Carrigaline has sparked concerns about people arriving to take videos and photographs of the blaze.
The incident drew fire units from Carrigaline, Crosshaven, and Midleton, as well as the Cork City Fire Service, in what was described as a 'difficult response situation.'
At least two homes were damaged by the fire, which broke out shortly after 12.30pm on Sunday at the Hillview estate in the Upper Kilmoney area. No injuries were reported.
Carrigaline Station's chief fire officer, Chris Gledhill, said his crew made 'serious firefighting efforts' until the Crosshaven Fire Service joined them.
'We needed more resources, such as an aerial platform, so I mobilised Cork City's platform to assist us,' he told the Irish Examiner.
'Then we needed more water because the hydrant's pressure was next to nothing. So we requested a water tanker from Cork City. That wasn't enough, so I requested a water tanker from Midleton fire service also,' Mr Gledhill added.
The crew worked against strong winds that pushed flames into a neighbouring house, setting it alight. Firefighters later extinguished the blaze.
'Thankfully, no one was hurt and our thoughts are with the families who lost their homes,' Mr Gledhill added.
Fine Gael councillor Jack White praised emergency services for their 'exceptional job in very difficult circumstances.'
However, he said several constituents expressed concern about people arriving at the estate 'just for a look.'
'It does seem we are in an era now where people are keen to capture footage to share on social media as opposed to thinking more considerately about the fact that people are affected,' Mr White said.
'We saw similar situations a few months ago when the poor man drowned in the River Lee, and where people were taking the choice to be bystanders and to record footage on their phones as opposed to either doing nothing or doing something helpful.
"It is an unfortunate kind of development in how people think about these things," he added.
Mr White said it was sad to see and that 'people have to reflect carefully on their choices if that's the type of thing they chose to do yesterday.'
The councillor believes there will be 'some kind of effort' to help the families who lost their homes.
'We are very lucky in this community in Carrigaline that we still retain a sense of community in times like this. And I suppose if a GoFundMe or similar effort is set up, it will be well supported,' Mr White added.