Firemen report: 23 homes damaged in Erin blast

INVESTIGATIONS conducted by fire prevention officers have revealed that approximately 23 houses were damaged on Saturday by the explosive blast in Buenos Ayres, Erin. The survey was conducted across a 600-metre radius from the point of the explosion — an abandoned quarry. Fire prevention officers completed investigations into the incident yesterday and Newsday learnt that each of the 23 houses had cracked doors, broken window panes and louvres as well as minor structural damage.

A report stated that firemen surveyed 50 houses in the vicinity and concluded that 23 were damaged as a result of the blast. The lands on which Halliburton detonated the explosives, the report stated, were privately owned by Glen and Philip Whiteman. The report noted that firemen were unable to ascertain whether the cracks they examined on the walls of some of the houses were as a result of the explosion. The report stated that a more expert examination of the cracks was needed. Officials from the Environment Management Authority (EMA) will visit the area today to conduct their own investigations.