Guinness blaze turns sky black

LARGE plumes of thick smoke billowed across Dublin city yesterday as firefighters battled for hours to control a fire at Guinness brewery.

Two firefighters were slightly injured in the blaze and admitted to hospital as a precaution. Both were later said to be in a stable condition in St James’s Hospital.

A spokesperson for Diageo Ireland said no employee was injured in the incident and brewing production was not affected.

The fire broke out at the lower end of the brewery near the Victoria Quay entrance just after midday and at one stage the smoke blotted a large part of the clear blue sky over the city.

Twelve units from Dublin Fire Brigade and three aerial firefighting vehicles had to work hard over a number of hours before the blaze was brought under control.

Diageo Ireland spokeswoman Rhonda Evans said the fire broke out in an infrequently used and currently vacant building. It is understood the blaze broke out when building materials being used by workmen to repair a felt roof caught fire.

The part of the site where the fire broke out was evacuated and gardaí diverted traffic away from the area.

The southbound Luas line was closed while firefighters worked to control the blaze.

At one stage there were fears that the fire could spread to a nearby ammonia plant.

Anyone in the vicinity of the brewery was being urged to remain indoors and keep windows closed because of potential contaminants in the smoke.

Ms Evans blamed fumes from burning tar and felt for creating a lot of smoke in the area. She added that an internal investigation would be conducted to establish the exact cause of the blaze.