Fire service braves elements to tackle blaze

ENNISCORTHY Fire Service were called to a fire at a house in Oulart on Thursday night.

The crew received a call regarding a shed and a granny flat which went up in flames beside a house at Kilnamanagh, Oulart at around 6 p.m. While a red weather warning had been in place from 4 p.m. with the public warned to avoid travel, the crew from Enniscorthy mobilised and set off for the scene of the blaze.

‘The main roads were relatively okay at that stage,’ a crew member said. ‘But once we came off the main road it got fairly slippy alright.’

When they arrived at the scene, they were greeted by a storage shed engulfed in flames, which had also spread to a granny flat next to the main house. An oil tank at the rear of the house was also on fire and the crew immediately set about tackling the blaze, bringing everything under control within an hour.

The shed, which was used by the owners for storing all manner of materials, was completely destroyed, while the granny flat next door sustained significant smoke and water damage after the fire spread into the ceiling.

After controlling the blaze, it was back to the station in Enniscorthy, where the crew of fourteen remained on standby to help out should any major incidents occur.

They were very much at the mercy of Storm Emma, however, as the constant snow drifts and accumulating snow rendered it almost impossible to for the fire brigade to mobilise.

All they could do was keep warm and hope that they weren’t faced with the difficult task of having to tend to any incidents.