Emergency services involved in river rescue while tackling blaze at Cork's R&H Hall site

Five units of the Cork CIty Fire Brigade responded to a well developed fire in the former R+H Hall offices. Picture: Cork City Fire Brigade Twitter

Emergency services attending the scene of a fire at a commercial unit in the docklands area of Cork City overnight were also involved in a river rescue at around the same time.

Five units of the Cork City Fire Brigade responded to a "well-developed" fire at the site of the former R&H Hall offices shortly after 2am.

As they were fighting the fire on Kennedy Quay, the alarm was raised after a woman entered the water at Bachelor’s Quay.

A garda had entered the water to save her before members of the fire brigade’s swift water rescue team, entered the water and rendered assistance.

The woman was taken from the water and was removed to the Mercy University Hospital for assessment.

It is the second fire at the former R&H Hall site in recent weeks, with crews having responded to a "small fire" which broke out at a grain store on Thursday, November 10.

In January of 2021, a blaze broke out in an old commercial unit on the site.

The buildings are owned by local developers O'Callaghan Properties, who also own the iconic redbrick Odlums building as well as the H&H Hall towers themselves.