Concerns about low water pressure in fire hydrants have been raised after a major blaze at one of Meath’s main recycling centres.
A large fire at the Thornton recycling centre in Dunboyne broke out on Thursday night. Three units from Meath County Council fire brigade attended the scene, bringing the fire under control on Friday morning.
Crews from Ashbourne, Navan and Dunshaughlin worked through the night to extinguish the fire, Meath County Council said in a statement.
“In addition to traditional firefighting methods, the deployed crews used a digger to take a large number of materials out of the premises to be broken down to help quell the spread of the fire,” the statement noted.
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Local Fianna Fáil councillor Caroline O’Reilly said firefighters had to refill their water in Dunboyne village, about 1.5km away.
Ms O’Reilly said she has been raising the issue of inadequate water pressure “for over a year”.
“Just before St Patrick’s Day, I asked the fire service to inspect hydrants and I was told they were not fit for purpose in the event of a fire.”
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but gardaí said foul play is not suspected an no injuries were reported.
