Fire at Shell Refinery Site in Erris

mayo | environment | news report

Friday February 22, 2008 23:22

by Firewatcher

Reports are coming of a large fire at the Shell Refinery Site at Bellanaboy, Erris County Mayo. It appears that an area where the original pipeline route was welded without permission in 2005 has caught fire. Large quantities of building materials, discarded plastic pipe, netting and rubber mats were piled up on the bog, and it is reported that these have caught fire.

Inside the refinery canteen, Bellanaboy

The huge refinery site is clearly prone to this type of emergency, but some local people are fairly certain that the fire could not have started spontaneously. While there is speculation that the rubber matting might be capable of smouldering in dry heat, recent weather conditions are not condusive to lead to this sort of incident.

Veterans of the controversial history of the Shell project at Bellanaboy are asking themselves who would have most to gain from a fire like this being started deliberately. While there is always a chance that the local people may have been involved, previous incidents of supposed sabotage of the project have been later claimed to be the work of those sympathetic to Shell, who wish to cast the protesters in a bad light.

One man, who could clearly see the large fire from where he was speaking, wondered if it might not be the Gardaí who started the fire. Obviously, the police have the most to gain from the situation being unstable in Erris, since they have become accustomed to overtime and high staffing levels . But, like so many matters related to Corrib, we will probably never know.