Navy history up in smoke
Raging fire at base destroys years of sea research data
Files are taken away in the clearing-up operation yesterday
Thursday March 13 2008
Gardai and military police began an investigation yesterday to determine the cause of a fire which caused an estimated €1m damage to a historic Naval Service building.
It also wiped out almost five years of priceless UCC marine research.
The fire, in a 19th-century building on Haulbowline Island, in Cork, raged for almost five hours before being brought under control.
It had by then gutted the four-storey building, which housed the the Naval Service administrative section and a UCC marine research unit.
The UCC unit lost all its specialist equipment in the fire -- as well as data and research material painstakingly compiled over almost five years of marine projects.
Navy firefighting teams were supported by fire brigade units from Carrigaline, Crosshaven and Cork and a firefighting tug amid fears that high winds could sweep the flames on to the fuel bunkers used to replenish navy ships.
Had the flames reached the bunkers, the consequences could have been catastrophic.
Navy spokesman Lt Cdr Terry Ward stressed that it is too early to speculate about a possible cause of the fire. However, the Irish Independent understands it is being treated as accidental.
At one point, flames from the four-storey warehouse were visible across the harbour in nearby Cobh where crowds gathered to watch.
The building was unoccupied when the fire broke out shortly before 9 pm on Tuesday and no-one was injured.
Vulnerable
In a bid to control the blaze and prevent it spreading, a special fire-fighting tug was brought alongside the naval dock and water cannons were used to combat the flames and damp down vulnerable areas.
The limestone building, which was being used for storage and document processing, is adjacent to another Victorian structure which was recently unveiled by Defence Minister Willie O'Dea after a multi-million euro refurbishment.
Naval chiefs had earmarked the warehouse damaged in the fire for extensive refurbishment. The premises was not used to store either ammunition or fuel.
The fire is the second major fire on Haulbowline Island in recent years -- in january 2001 a blaze destroyed an administrative block on the former Irish Steel-Irish Ispat site.
One man died in the Irish Ispat fire when he was trapped inside the burning office complex.
That fire occurred less than 60 metres from the Navy warehouse damaged yesterday.
The Naval Service warehouse is one of several historic buildings on Haulbowline Island which date back to when the facility was developed as a major Royal Navy base in the early 19th century.
- Ralph Riegel
