This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM
The ongoing battery fire incident in Claregalway has now been contained.
Fire crews remain at the scene, and some firefighters were sent to hospital as a precaution.
The incident outside Xerotech at Claregalway Corporate Park is now in its third day.
It started early on Wednesday morning in a shipping container which held industrial batteries.
Yesterday, the corporate park itself was evacuated, as were two nearby schools, and around a dozen homes at Lakeview.
The difficulty hasn’t been in extinguishing a conventional fire – but in keeping extremely volatile batteries cooled down so they don’t reignite.
Crews have now isolated those batteries from the shipping container and placed them a skip of water.
There have been concerns over lithium contamination, and several firefighters were taken to hospital as a precaution after showing mild physical symptoms.
Air quality testing will determine if businesses can return to the corporate park later today – but emergency services will likely remain on-site for the foreseeable future.