Major blaze levels Cork warehouse and trucks as explosions heard across harbour

Fire crews from across Cork battled the intense blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings and avoiding serious injuries

Explosions were heard across Cork Harbour on Sunday night as a major fire destroyed a commercial warehouse containing 11 trucks and caused millions of euro in damage.

The alarm was raised shortly after 11pm by a staff member at the premises in Ballytrasna, prompting a major response from fire services across Cork.

Four appliances from Cork City Fire Brigade, along with a dozen fire crews, attended the scene, supported by crews from Cobh, Midleton, Mallow, Bandon and Carrigaline.

Victor Shine, second officer with Cork City Fire Brigade, said the majority of the warehouse had already been destroyed when crews arrived.

“It was already a well-established fore, with flames coming through the roof and a number of the trucks within the building ablaze,” Mr Shine said.

It is understood that 11 vehicles were inside, many with full diesel tanks and loaded with produce.

Loud explosions and massive plumes of smoke were reported across the harbour, with orange flames visible from areas such as Passage West and Rochestown.

The fire was later brought under control.

With the warehouse and its contents completely destroyed, damage is expected to run into the millions.

Mr Shine praised the work of the responding firefighters, saying they worked under difficult conditions to contain a major blaze.

“Due to their efforts, fire was prevented from spreading to the surrounding buildings and nobody was injured,” he said.

One person was treated at the scene for suspected smoke inhalation.

A garda spokesperson said officers were assisting at the scene and confirmed that no injuries were reported.