Gardaí satisfied Haulbowline fire started accidentally

Garda are satisfied that a fire which gutted several cars parked at the Irish Naval Service base in Cork on Wednesday night started accidentally.

A garda spokesman confirmed that following a technical examination of the scene on Haulbowline Island, they are satisfied that there was no malicious element to the incident which gutted up to six cars.

It is believed that an electrical fault may have sparked the fire which then spread to adjoining cars.

The alarm was raised at around 9.40pm on Wednesday.

Fire crews from the Cork County Fire Service based at Carrigaline rushed to the scene.

They found several cars well alight and there were concerns that the blaze could spread right through the car park.

But they managed to contain the fire and prevented it from spreading to dozens of other vehicles parked in the area.

They also prevented potentially deadly fuel explosions. There were no reports of any injuries.

Once the fire was extinguished and the scene was declared safe, the area was sealed off and handed over to gardaí.

Garda scenes of crime experts spent some time on Wednesday night, and again this morning conducting a forensic examination of a number of vehicles in a bid to establish the seat of and cause of the blaze.

They were satisfied by lunchtime that there was no malicious element involved in the fire, and therefore no criminal issues involved.

The garda involvement in the case is now over and it will be a matter for the owners of the cars to resolve the various issues.

A fire which started in an Opel Zafira parked on the first floor of the Douglas Shopping Centre car park in Cork in late August gutted dozens of cars and forced the closure of the entire complex.

Demolition of the car park structure is well underway and the shopping centre owners say their planned reopening date of summer 2020 is still on target.

A screen has also been erected on the westbound lane of the N40 to prevent rubbernecking while the demolition continues.