Tipperary Firefighters responding to the major wildfire on Slievenamon mountain returned to Cahir, to discover that vehicles belonging to crew members had allegedly been broken into and damaged.
The incidents occurred on Barrack Street, in Cahir, Co Tipperary, during the early hours of Saturday morning, while local crews were continuing their prolonged effort to control the mountain fire.
Tools, personal possessions and equipment used by some of the firefighters in their everyday work were reported stolen. Several cars, vans and jeeps were also damaged.
Gardaí are investigating a number of incidents of theft and criminal damage involving vehicles parked on Barrack Street between 12.30am and 1.30am on Saturday, 25 July.
A technical examination of the area has been carried out. Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity or travelled through the vicinity during that period is being asked to contact Cahir Gardaí.
Investigators are particularly interested in footage from dash cams or other recording devices.
The incident is considered as deeply demoralising for firefighters who had spent days away from their families battling the Slievenamon blaze. These selfless individuals haven’t been home to their families for days, while selfish disgusting lowlifes have taken advantage of them.
A fundraising page has since been established to support the firefighters affected by the thefts and help replace stolen equipment and damaged property.
The break-ins happened as emergency crews continued to tackle flare-ups and hotspots across Slievenamon.
Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service reported another difficult period on Saturday, with renewed fire activity on the mountain’s southern side, following an earlier reduction in intensity.
Ground operations were intensified today, Sunday, as crews responded to flare-ups and monitored the wider affected area. Specialist equipment has been deployed to help firefighters operate across the mountain’s challenging terrain.
A coordinated, multi-agency operation remains in place to contain the fire and prevent further spreading or reignition.
Smoke may remain visible at times, particularly on the eastern side of Slievenamon.
Residents, especially people with respiratory conditions, have been advised to take appropriate precautions when necessary.
The public is also being urged to remain clear of the affected areas and avoid interfering with emergency operations.
Report during the week George that 43 percent of prisoners reoffend within a year of release. Not surprised with that at all. Obviously, prison isn’t something to be feared anymore. Pity we don’t go full max like El Salvador instead of allowing prisoners their own clothes, recreational activities, TVs, DVDs, drugs inside, university education etc. Our most sought-after fugitive, Christy Kinahan Snr, even extended his time inside in the Irish prison system to finish a language degree that was instrumental in building one of the most fearsome narcotic enterprises the world has ever seen.
The absolute scum who did this in Cahir, did it deliberately and with knowledge, the way they’d target the homes of those at a close family funeral by reading the death notices. Pure and simple opportunism. Yet, if they are caught, what will they get and how long before they are out? And how much time and expense will be spent by the State in prosecuting them?
I had the absolute misfortune of having to be called for jury duty in Nenagh a number of years ago. Some lad from foreign shores was up on a charge of general mayhem (won’t reveal more than that) but soon as the jury was empanelled (on the second day may I add) he decided to change his plea to guilty.
Everybody in there was on the clock, the judge, the legal teams, the court reporters, the court clerk, the Gardai etc. A local restaurant was even benefitting from providing a dinner for the jury that was never eaten due to the late change in plea. Everybody was on the clock except the jury. Anyone who tells you that jury duty is a good civic act is blowing smoke up your derriere. It’s just another way the State rips off well-meaning people. And to what end? To show more concern for the guilty than the victims of the crime and let them out after maybe serving half their sentence because we don’t have enough prisons. Liberal thinking with well meaning liberal approaches to societal problems have done untold damage to this country.