Fire at Shell Refinery Site in Erris

by FW Sat Feb 23, 2008 00:50

Three units of the Mayo Fire Service are on the scene.

If the Refinery was pumping tons of pressurised gas, it woyuld take more than a few fire engines to put out the fire.

Since the fire broke out on the original pipeline route, if things had been a bit different over the last fews years, the fire may well have resulted in a major explosion.

by katiem - none Sat Feb 23, 2008 02:08

O MY GOD! A Fire in Ballinaboy! There, I told ye all this was a bad idea.

If Buts and Maybes ruled the world, then we would have the biggest disaster since Chernobyl on our hands. Unfortunately, for S2S, this "disaster" is probably no more important than a chimney fire. For Gods sake, get a grip!

This is the kind of hysteria that gets up the noses of all right minded people. Please don't make a mountain out of a molehill, just to further your cause. You patronize us more than Shell have ever tried to do. We are not a bunch of uneducated hicks, to be pulled this way and that by persuasive arguments. I would like to think that we are capable of making up our own minds, regardless of attempts to muddy the waters, from either side.

There have been bog fires that have attracted more fire engines, so please try to keep the situation in perspective.

by Erris Exile Sat Feb 23, 2008 04:04

Totally agree. How could buliding rubbish collected together in a pipeline easement be compared to an operational pipeline ~6ft underground?! Get a grip of the situation. Compare apples and apples and leave the bananas out of it. Hysteria is right - there are numerous fires on construction sites everywhere, its not a big deal and certainly cannot be compared to an operational upset. Remember most pipeline are able to withstand high degrees of radiant heat especially one that is 27mm thick. What S2S need to concentrate on is a breakdown in the integrity - how is that going to happen. Not a bloody small fire on a construction site.

by Johnny Jump Up Sat Feb 23, 2008 08:24

"Reports are coming of a large fire at the Shell Refinery Site at Bellanaboy, Erris County Mayo." I'd say first-hand reports alright. Does "Firewatcher"="firestarter"? It's not cool or good for your cause to set a fire and then to say "See, I told you it could happen", or to blame the guards or Shell for it.

And, I'm sorry, but pinning blame on the Gardaí for this is quite simply unbelievable, and, in a word, mad. Sure, maybe the Ploughshares never damaged the plane in Shannon either. Perhaps the guards did that too just to get more overtime. This new incident is bizarre and not helpful for the Shell-to-Sea argument. Do you honestly believe that the gardaí want over-time and temporary transfer to a damp outpost of the north-west so much that they're going to do this? Nonsense. Gardaí get a good pay anyway. They don't need or want a full-time operation in Mayo, just like they didn't appreciate having to stand around planes on the apron in Shannon. It's not what they trained to do or want to do.

If this was done by some anti-Shell dissident, who is say that they are not liable to sabotage the oil terminal when it's fully operational? You're playing right into the hands of the proponants of the Shell project, not the guards.

by Johnny Jump Up Sat Feb 23, 2008 08:36

Newsflash STOP NEW LINE Bellnaboy Shell Scabs don't tidy up after themselves STOP Exclusive footage shows that they don't put milk back in the fridge STOP They don't even put the lid on milk containers STOP There is also evidence that they eat John West tinned tuna STOP Animals EXCLAMATION MARK EXCLAMATION MARK NEW LINE

You should have posted a photo of the fire instead, it would have been more relavent to the topic. Just make sure you hide the petrol-can and matches.

by Jane Sat Feb 23, 2008 08:43

The first news of the fire came for me from a press statement issued by Shell Ireland broadcast and heard by me on the 1am RTE1 News this morning. Not from S2S. In fact it suprised me that as the fire was being brought under control around midnight a press statement was ready and it could conclude that the fire might not have been accidental without any time allowance for investigation by fire service or gardai.

II worries me that in this past week alone Shell's contractors have been shown to be remiss on site security, planning of low site
buildings, SAC-recovery techniques.

Not a protestor in sight to blame! When all else fails inclinations towards smear by sabotage surfaces. Smear rather than safety appears to be the most pressing concern!

by Take Note Sat Feb 23, 2008 09:05

Take note that the immediate three comments in reaction to the news of the fire were all anti - Shell to Sea at 2am, 4am 8am appoximately. Reinforcement of blame suggested by Shell.

by rustis Sat Feb 23, 2008 09:20

why would s2s want to start a fire where there was plastic and wot not lying around POLLUTION is what they are trying and fighting to stop so think about that

by % Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:00

"Mayo County Council is the Fire Authority for the administrative area of County Mayo and the three Town Council areas of Castlebar, Westport and Ballina. The Council currently employs 136 fire fighters in 12 fire stations and 8 hose and ladder units located around the county.
These firefighters deal with, on average between 1300 and 1500 responses annually ranging from chimney fires, house fires, bog/forest fires, road traffic accidents, rescues, chemical spills and flooding." (This is the first time they've put out a timber bog mat fire).

by % Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:55

The majority of building site fire incidents which merit investigation are found to be insurance policy related.

by JM Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:16 Rossport

Shell begin removing illegal drilling work - the real story of the day

by Chrissie Sat Feb 23, 2008 13:33

It's not worth our time to have a slanging-match with Shell trolls - let them growl away. No protestors have been known to do anything damaging to the environment; some Gardai have been shown to be dishonest in Court. It's possible that it was just an idiot's fag-butt started it of course, but more info is needed. It was a handy attention-getter whatever.

by q Sat Feb 23, 2008 15:30

The campaigners were complaining on the previous report about works removals about shell not using the matting so why would they burn it?

security guard and a cig I bet.

by Sunday morning Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:46

To say that the Rossport Five should still be in jail is loopy, and either shows a remarkable lack of analysis (who is living in cloud cuckoo land?) or is an instance of what I believe is called trolling, when anonymous internet users desperate for attention start outrageous arguments, often based on a plainly false premise, just so that people will engage with them.

Talking to these people is a waste of everyone's time, but just in case you're confused rather than a troll, I will ask you to consider whether everyone convicted by a court in Ireland should be considered to be a criminal? Was James Connolly, for instance, a criminal? Was Jim Larkin? Just think of a few of the people whose statues are in public places in Ireland and ask yourself if they were all part of a criminal conspiracy?

I don't want an answer. I just think you should consider this fact.

by al Sun Feb 24, 2008 22:43

As JM stated the real story is the removal of the illegal drilling work which from the pictures on the S2S website is being ostentatiously and quite ludicrously supported by a ridiculous amount of Gardai. What a great pity that the Conservation and Wildlife Authority did not feel it was worth sending a representative to ensure that it was being done properly. Typical of the perverse twists in the authority of this State at the moment.