€10,000 bill after extra firefighters drafted in to tackle 19 blazes in city
In separate incidents, two firemen were attacked with a glass bottle and an iron bar by unruly mobs.
Gardaí are investigating the infernos which were lit for bonfire night on May Eve — a long-standing annual tradition in the city.
As the city’s fire and rescue service battled 12 different bonfires, back-up units were called in to fight seven other blazes at derelict buildings, bins, trees, fences, and an ESB pole.
In total, about 40 firemen were deployed from Limerick City, Shannon in Co Clare, Newport in Co Tipperary, as well as Cappamore and Rathkeale.
One firefighter was struck in the face by a glass bottle as he tackled a bonfire on Kilmurray Rd, Garryowen, at about 9pm.
The fireman, aged in his 40s, was taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital for treatment and was discharged in the early hours of yesterday morning.
“He’s sore but we wish him a speedy recovery. He got three stitches to his face,” said Michael Ryan, Limerick’s chief fire officer.
Another fireman from Shannon received minor injuries when he was hit by an iron bar as he tackled another bonfire at the same location hours later.
Mr Ryan said: “It was an uncharacteristically busy night for us. We received assistance from neighbouring fire brigades for which we are very grateful. Assaults on emergency personnel are never acceptable. We are very concerned, and the matter will be pursued through the gardaí.
“The cost of the additional attendance of other fire brigades in the city [on Monday] is approaching €10,000.”
He said that the service needed to respond to incidents quickly and that lives at other emergency incidents were put at risk if the public tried to hold up firefighters from their work or, at worst, assaulted them in the course of their duties.
“There is a danger of that. If we are committed to an incident and assaults are taking place, then that ties us up and the danger is that another incident is occurring somewhere else where life is at risk and we need to be there.”
The city fire service was tasked 19 times from 8.29am on Monday, including two bogus calls, until 4am yesterday.
One call at 10.15pm on Monday reported there were persons in derelict apartments over the former Cathedral Carpets storehouse on Mungret St.
Fire crews fought the blaze for a number of hours. Nobody was found.
Meanwhile, the Irish Fire and& Emergency Services Association called for proper compensation for fire officers who were injured on duty.
“We are urging local people and fire officers to co-operate with the gardaí in finding the people responsible and prosecuting them. Again we urge the public to support their emergency services,” the group stated.
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