Agency to investigate chemical fire on lorry in residential area

The Health and Safety Authority has started an investigation into a chemical fire in a lorry parked in a residential area in north Dublin on Friday night. At least five people were treated in hospital after the fire in the Claremont Crescent area of Glasnevin.

The lorry is believed to have been privately owned and was being driven for Chemical and General Warehousing Ltd, which has two Dublin depots.

A man at the company said he could not comment on the accident last night.

A source in the haulage industry said the company had an excellent safety record and always insisted that drivers have hazardous chemicals training and equipment.

The lorry contained at least three types of chemicals in powder form. These are believed to have been ammonium persulphate and two other corrosive chemicals.

An investigating garda said the fire was suspected to have been caused by the chemicals reacting with each other, rather than any engine fault or other fire source.

The chemicals had been transferred to the lorry earlier on Friday after another vehicle being used to transport them was involved in an accident in Limerick.

Two gardai from Mountjoy station are on sick leave as a result of inhaling fumes from the fire. One of the officers was the first on the scene and both were treated in hospital.

Lorries carrying chemicals are strictly controlled, according to a spokesman for the Irish Road Hauliers' Association. "Something as innocent as a truck-load of boot polish has hazardous status," he said.

The hazard status of loads is graded from low-level, such as artificial fertilisers, to high-risk loads such as liquid gas, petrol, explosives and aviation fuel.

The rules, known as Hazchem regulations, are implemented worldwide with an international code carried by lorries with dangerous goods to warn those who may come in contact with them.

Drivers are trained in the regulations, the IRHA spokesman said, and receive a certificate. The spokesman said the regulations were adequate and the majority of drivers had training in dealing with hazardous chemicals.