Firemen hailed heroes following Kingscourt raid

The actions of firemen in Kingcourt have been hailed as "exceptional" in preventing loss or life or injury in the dramatic wake of an armed bank robbery on the Bank of Ireland branch in the town last Friday. The traumatic events have also resulted in renewed calls for a Garda patrol car to be put back in the east Cavan town immediately. Firemen responded quickly and with great bravery as the situation unfolded after a gang of six armed and masked men made off with thousands of euros from the bank. Dozens of shoppers and business people were left stunned as burning vehicles turned the town into a something out of a war zone. The gang were in the bank for less than two minutes and pointed what are believed to be handguns at the staff as they demanded the cash. As they raced out of the bank with a substantial haul of cash, one gang member threw a device into a white van and it immediately went up in flames. As petrol leaked along the footpath, the blaze spread and soon three other vehicles were in flames and a thick black smoke soared hundreds of yards up the street and skywards. See this week's newspaper for full article