Series of fires set deliberately in Cork’s Glen

A series of deliberate fires this week have caused extensive damage to an amenity area in the northside of Cork City.

During one outbreak, firefighters were pelted with stones as they tackled a large gorse fire.

Gardaí were called after a gang of youths, some as young as 10, launched the attack on firefighters as they dealt with a gorse fire in the Glen amenity park area at around 5pm.

It was the fourth and largest gorse fire in that area since the start of the week.

On Monday two units of the fire service tackled up to four small gorse fires in the suburban parkland. On Tuesday three units of the fire service spent more than two hours dealing with a large gorse fire in the area.

Members of .@CorkCityFire who are tackling a gorse fire on #Cork's northside now are being attacked by stone throwing youths

— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) April 8, 2015

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Wednesday’s blaze covered a much bigger area of the park. The alarm was raised prior to 5pm and a unit from the Ballyvolane substation of Cork City Fire Brigade responded.

They began tackling the blaze from the North Ring Rd and worked their way down through scrubland towards the valley floor.

Within minutes, they came under attack from youths throwing stones and other missiles from higher ground. The firefighters called for back-up and gardaí were on the scene quickly, but the youths fled on foot.

A senior fire officer said they believe all the fires had been set deliberately, and were not, as was reported elsewhere, sparked by the recent spell of dry weather.

“We’ve had a few good days of dry, sunny weather but the ground was so wet until recently that these fires could not have spontaneously combusted,” he said.

“They have all the hallmarks of having being started deliberately.”

He condemned those responsible for setting the fires and the the youths who attacked firefighters. “We had a very busy afternoon yesterday with regular and routine calls, and dealing with this kind of a situation puts a serious draw on our resources, which could be required in an emergency situation elsewhere.”

He called on those responsible to consider the dangers and the risks to themselves and others. He said if such fires get out of control in the steep valley park they could trap people using the narrow walkways on the valley floor.

The park is close to residential areas and drifting smoke could pose a serious health hazard, he said.

“We would also urge parents to know where their children are and what they are going. They are out for their kicks but have no idea of the potential damage they could do.”

Today's gorse fire is 4th in #Glen park this week. .@padraigbarrett1's pic shows .@CorkCityFire there y'day #Cork pic.twitter.com/V4cNL5NSgX

— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) April 8, 2015

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