Cause of navy base fire to be examined by military police

MILITARY police are awaiting the all-clear from engineers before examining a historic building that was gutted by fire at the naval service headquarters in Co Cork.

They will seek to ascertain the cause of the blaze, which destroyed storage rooms and caused serious damage to UCC’s Coastal & Marine Resources Centre, which is also based in the naval headquarters in Haulbowline.

The fire at the so-called block 4, was spotted at 8.40pm and at times sent flames 16m into the air.

Gale force winds hampered firefighters who came from the city and county to tackle the blaze, and it was not until late yesterday morning that they were able to leave. A tug boat was also brought in to tackle the fire.

The naval service sealed off the scene and called in engineers and heath and safety experts to assess the safety of what remained of the four-storey building.

Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Terry Ward said the roof of the building had caved in and the top three floors were destroyed.

He said archives such as old log books and manuals had been lost, but they were not of huge historical importance. The quartermaster’s stores had also been lost as well as some offices.

Lt Cmdr Ward said the biggest loss was the historical importance of the listed building, which was one of six blocks built between 1804 and 1815 by the British navy. It and other blocks had been undergoing extensive renovations.

“They were used as store houses back then and many sailors who got supplies there would have gone off to fight in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and the British/American War of 1812.

“Thankfully, there were no injuries to naval personnel or the firemen. The firefighters did a tremendous job to stop it spreading to other buildings,” said Lt Cmdr Ward .

He added that once engineers secured the building, the military police would immediately start their investigation. “It’s hoped we can find out what caused the fire as speedily as possible,” said Lt Cmdr Ward.

The director of the UCC marine research facility, Dr Valerie Cummins, said the fire was a huge setback for her organisation.

It was established in Haulbowline in May 2004 and was home to 22 researchers.

Dr Cummins said she hoped to find replacement accommodation as soon as possible, with UCC and the naval base being the most likely options.

Neither the navy nor the marine research facility were able to estimate the cost of the damage yesterday.

Dr Cummins said it had been planned to expand the marine research facility before the fire.

“We were in the process of recruitment. We planned to move into the storey above and that is completely gone,” she said.