Greens ask EPA to intervene following recycling plant fire

Cork Green Party TD Dan Boyle has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action following a fire at the Cork Metal Company which destroyed a scrap metal recycling plant.

The accident happened on Sunday, June 4th when a security guard heard an explosion on site. Fire units of the Cork city Fire Service arrived at the scene. They fought the blaze for a number of hours until they brought it under control early on Monday 5th June.
Concern has been expressed about the environmental consequences of the fire. It is thought to have centred on a large mountain of scrap metal.
“When you are talking about things that happen on this scale with the type of materials we are dealing with, we should have a seven-day 24-hour service.

“The sooner the EPA realises that the sooner public confidence will begin to occur in that agency because it certainly doesn’t exist at the moment,” Mr Boyle said.
The O’Sullivan family owns the company. It collects materials for export in Spain. Most of its work is with the area’s pharmaceutical and chemical industries, exporting metal every week.