EARLY RESULTS of a Garda forensic examination of the site of a fire at the Woodfab Timber plant in south Wicklow on Sunday morning suggest it may have been started deliberately.
Gardaí cordoned off the site yesterday while members of the technical bureau conducted an investigation, which identified a number of suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire.
Gardaí have now appealed for anyone who may have been in the area late on Saturday night or who may have seen anything suspicious to contact them.
They were also investigating a fire at a nearby former flour mill and examining the remains of a burnt-out four-wheel-drive vehicle, to see if there may be any connection with the Woodfab fire.
It is understood both the four-wheel-drive and the former flour mill were on fire at about the same time as the Woodfab plant.
The fire caused serious damage to the plant’s main production line. The plant, which employs 65 full-time staff and a further 70 contract workers, is located on the outskirts of Aughrim, a scenic village west of Arklow.
Most of the staff at the plant are on annual holidays and the production units were closed for annual maintenance when the fire broke out.
However, phone lines at the plant were in operation yesterday with clerical staff in place. Management was hoping to have the sales offices reopened for business today.
Managing director John Brady said he would not know how many workers would have to be laid off on a temporary basis until they carried out an assessment of the damage.
“But we will rebuild. I have worked in this business for 40 years, invested too much time and effort into the business, just to walk away,” he said.
Woodfab Timber produces fencing and decking products for Irish and British markets. It is a major supplier of roadside post and rail fencing and has developed acoustic timber fencing for use as sound barriers, particularly on roadsides.
While the company has said the building was insured, concern locally centred on damage to export markets which may be caused by any delay in rebuilding.
Local estimates yesterday put the value of the damage in millions of euro. The main production sawmills, the hub of the plant, was burnt in the blaze, which was spotted by a local taxi driver about 1.30am on Sunday.
Firemen from nearby towns of Rathdrum, Tinahely, Carnew and Arklow fought the fire for several hours.
The blaze took more than 10 hours to put out, but firemen succeeded in preventing the flames spreading to other plants and offices in the factory compound.