A young woman was hospitalised late on Thursday night following an apparent gas leak at an unofficial halting site in Co Clare.
The alarm was raised at around 11.00pm when the fire service received a report of a fire at Ashline on the outskirts of Ennis. The original report was of an outdoor fire on lands near the local national school.
On arrival at the scene fire crews detected an odour and quickly established it was gas and soon located the source of the leak. Fire crews used a water hose to spray a gas cylinder found close to a caravan.
While crews were dealing with the incident, a young woman at the scene complained of dizziness and feeling generally unwell. An ambulance was requested to attend the incident.
An ambulance and rapid response advanced paramedic unit reached the scene within minutes. Paramedics assessed and the treated the woman.
A Clare County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed: “The incident took place at an informal halting site between O’Sullivan and Hansbury roundabout and the Rocky Road Roundabout.”
“The incident involved a gas leak from what appeared to be a damaged fitting on a gas cylinder. One person claimed to have inhaled the gas and was subsequently hospitalised. Fire Service crews remained on site until the gas leak was contained,” the spokesman added.
The woman was removed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. It’s understood she was discharged early yesterday.