Jute Inferno: Waterford asks what next as fire's devastation revealed
As 12,017 spectators decked in the blue and white of Waterford and the red and white of Cork watched the crunch Munster Senior Hurling Championship match unfold at Azzurri Walsh Park, black smoke billowed into the blue skies from the nearby Tycor Business Centre behind the uncovered North Stand.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister Mary Butler and Minister John Cummins watched on from the VIP seats in the South Stand on Saturday evening, and even they would have been concerned about what was happening just a short walk away on Tycor Avenue.
Flames of up to 40 feet were clearly visible to the naked eye as brave firefighters, who were advised that the fire had broken out at 6.39pm, tackled the blaze, but even they didn’t know the enormous task that they were to soon have on their hands.
As the winds picked up, blowing the smoke towards Keane’s Road, it was clear that this wasn’t just a normal fire, as units from the Waterford City brigade were joined by colleagues from Tramore, Dunmore, Portlaw, Kilmacthomas, Cappoquin, Dungarvan, and neighbouring Kilkenny.
Starting in the middle of the building, the fire quickly ripped through the business centre - known locally as the Old Jute Factory, leaving onlookers, including many business owners, devastated by the powerful inferno. Over 50 fire personnel tried to contain it before eventually bringing it under control in the early hours of Sunday morning.
As smoke spread across parts of the city, many small business owners clung to the hope that they weren’t affected by the events, but deep down, they knew their fate long before the sun rose on Sunday morning – the old Jute Factory, understood to be majority owned by the Causeway Group, was a shell of its former self.
People like Blanáid MacCann of Nomac Productions, Paul Hearne of Celtic Warriors Gym, the Upton sisters, Jean and Ellenor of Waterford Music Centre, Andrew Hepburn of DG Foods, and others were counting the cost of the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their businesses over the years.
A public health warning quickly followed from Waterford City and County Council, which advised all residents in the Tycor area to keep their windows and doors closed due to concerns about asbestos particles being airborne as a result of the blaze.
As dusk fell on Sunday evening, firefighters were back on site to ensure that all was calm after the storm. Their heroic efforts over the previous 12 hours didn’t go unnoticed, having put themselves on the line to ensure that there wasn’t a more deadly outcome to the Tycor inferno.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, was flanked by government colleagues Minister Butler and Cummins on Monday morning as they were briefed by Waterford City and County Council CEO Sean McKeown and Chief Fire Officer with Waterford Council, Niall Curtin. The question on everybody’s lips now will be: What next?
Although it was expected that Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, would visit the scene on Monday afternoon, Sean Johnston, founder and CEO of the Causeway Group, informed the media that this would now take place today (Tuesday), before confirming that 35 businesses, some with multiple units, were immediately affected by the fire.
In the background, members of Gravity Asbestos Removal were hoovering up the debris, as the impact of the biggest fire ever to hit the city could be felt in the words of those most affected, the Upton sisters, Jean and Eleanor. “Our lives at this moment are in limbo” – the people of Waterford are behind you and support you all.
