Major fire at south Mayo agricultural machinery plant

Emergency services from Mayo and Galway managed to contain a major fire which broke out at an agricultural machinery business in Ballinrobe, south Mayo on Tuesday night.

A number of fire units from Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Galway spent several hours battling the blaze at McHale Engineering on the Castlebar road, Ballinrobe, which was reported shortly after 6pm.

Explosions could be heard from the location and thick plumes of black smoke could be seen from Shrule, some 20km south of the Mayo town.

Mayo county manager Peter Hynes said the local authority was monitoring the situation, which he described as "serious", but the county emergency plan had not been activated.

No reports of casualties

It is understood the building was evacuated and he said there were no reports of casualties.

The cause of the fire has not been established, but there were reports it started in the paint shop area and spread quickly to the main plant, where machinery is stored, due to strong west to southwest winds.

The company had been completing an extension to the premises.

McHale Engineering is a major employer in south Mayo, with some 270 staff, and exports farm machinery to over 50 countries.

It was established by brothers Padraic and Martin McHale more than 30 years ago, and specialises in balers and bale wrappers for round and square-baled silage and round bales of hay and straw.

It has a manufacturing facility in Szolnok in Hungary, along with its plant in Ballinrobe.