Gardaí are investigating an attack on firefighters in Dublin after shots were reportedly fired from an air rifle as they attempted to put out a fire in a van.
A local unit of Dublin Fire Brigade was attending the scene of a small fire at Beech Hill Villas in Donnybrook shortly after 1am yesterday.
As the firefighters attempted to extinguish a fire in a van, shots were fired from an unspecified location nearby, fire brigade sources said.
Gardaí at the scene told the firefighters to “get down” as they were “under fire”, said one fireman. Several shots hit the fire engine.
It is believed an air rifle may have been used in the incident.
The scene was preserved by gardaí for technical examination.
A firefighter based at Donnybrook said the fire engine was being forensically examined by gardaí.
A spokesman for An Garda Síochána said an investigation into the incident was “ongoing”. He said it “may have been” an air rifle that was used in the attack.