Skerries RNLI respond to reports of vessel on fire

Shortly after 8pm yesterday evening Dublin Coast Guard received a number of emergency calls reporting that a vessel could be seen on fire north of Balbriggan. Skerries RNLI were tasked and the lifeboat was launched with volunteer Conor Walsh at the Helm and crewed by Stephen Crowley, Steven Johnson and JP Tanner.

The fire was visible from the boathouse, and once the volunteers launched the inshore Atlantic 85 lifeboat, they navigated directly to the scene. As they approached the area, it soon became apparent that the fire was actually a large gorse fire on the shoreline, and the emergency services had arrived to deal with it.

The lifeboat was stood down and returned to station.

Speaking about the call out, Lifeboat Press Officer for Skerries RNLI, Gerry Canning said: ‘It was quite deceptive to look at, and you can understand how it may have looked like it was actually a fire at sea. In this case it was a false alarm, but with good intent’

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