Fire at 16m quinn cement plant project

Two units attached to Cavan Fire Brigade remain at the scene of a fire which broke out at the Quinn Cement plant in the early hours of this morning.

Its is understood that fire took hold on a cable carrier attached to the new €16m Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) project at the Ballyconnell cement works.

Two units of the fire brigade from Ballyconnell and Belturbet attended the scene of the fire following reports at around 4.30am.

The fire has been brought under control but units are remaining at the scene this morning as they continue to assess the situation.

The factory itself were stood down as a precautionary measure, however it is understood operations will begin once again sometime later today.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious.

The SRF which, once completed will allow the cement plant to use alternative fuels thereby reducing the reliance on coal, has been largely completed since building began on the project early last year.

It had been close to being fully commissioned before fire broke out earlier today. It is not yet certain how much damage has been caused as a result of the incident.