Was a fire at a Dublin bus depot started deliberately?
While Dublin is at a standstill due to a bus strike, six double-decker buses are destroyed by a fire at the Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) Donnybrook depot.
The fire is thought to have started at 1:15 am. CIÉ general manager John Byrnes explains at the time all the depot’s power systems were switched off from the main, and all the batteries had been turned off. Given the bus strike, there is no question that flammable items left by passengers caused the blaze.
Given these facts, he believes the cause of the fire is arson,
There is no question it can happen accidentally; it has to be deliberately done in some fashion.
John Byrnes does not think the fire is connected to the Dublin bus strike and he would be surprised if any such link is found.
There were about 250 buses in the depot at the time of the fire. It will cost some £120,000 to replace the destroyed buses.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 18 June 1974.
