‘Serious concerns’ about fire spreading between houses
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A district officer for Dublin Fire Brigade said he has “serious concerns” about fire stopping infrastructure between houses, after a boiler went on fire in a house on the Old Bawn Road on Monday evening – and the smoke spread through adjoining houses.
Three fire engines attended the scene, two from Tallaght and one from Dolphin’s Barn, where neighbours from the adjoining houses had evacuated their homes and were on the road as smoke seeped out from the houses at approximately 6.30pm.
The boiler that went on fire was in the middle floor of the terraced house, which the homeowners were not in at the time, and the smoke travelled up to the attic of the house and sideways across the attics of two adjoining houses to the left of the property.
District Officer Peter Navan, who attended the scene, told The Echo: “These are solid, concrete houses and the attics were added in in the last five years.
“The smoke travelled sideways across three houses.
“It could have had disastrous consequences. There was dangerous potential for fire to travel with the smoke.
“The houses will need extensive cleaning because of the smoke damage, and the house where the fire was will need to be rewired.”
Officer Navan added: “I would have serious concerns about fire stopping between individual houses.
“I would be urging all residents in the estate to get their fire stopping professionally checked.”
No one was injured in the incident, and Officer Navan said that he plans to make contact with local residents’ association to ensure they get their houses checked for fire stopping potential.
