FOUR UNITS OF a fire brigade were delayed in responding to reports of a fire in Cork earlier today due to cars parked by the side of the road.

Kinsale Fire Station attempted to respond to reports of a fire, but said it was “madness” to get down to the scene of the incident, which occurred at the Shearwater apartment block along the quays.

A spokesperson for the Kinsale Fire Station told TheJournal.ie that ever since a SuperValu opened on the same road as the fire station, they have had difficulties responding to calls, as people park their cars along the stretch of the road that they share.

The Glen, New Road, Kinsale where the Fire Station and SuperValu are located. Picture taken from Google Maps, before the SuperValu was built. Source: Google Maps

The spokesperson said that this is a particular problem during the summer months when demand increases, and that the matter will be brought to the attention of Cork County Council.

SuperValu Kinsale, which is owned and run by the Smith family, is situated 270 metres away from the fire station.

A member of SuperValu Kinsale’s management team was unavailable for comment.

Source: Google Maps

No one was injured in the incident at the apartment block, but a lot of smoke damage was caused as smoke had been gathering in the apartment while the owner was away.

It is thought that the cause of the incident was an electrical fault.

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