Battery fault behind Mayo ambulance fire

BATTERY faults have been confirmed as being behind fire outbreaks in two ambulances.

An ambulance was destroyed while parked at the ambulance station in Castlebar recently, with a second incident occurring days later in Offaly involving a community paramedic response vehicle.

Following an investigation, the HSE has confirmed the problem behind the fires in what were two new vehicles related to auxiliary battery systems.

Neither vehicle was in use at the time of the outbreaks.

In a statement, the HSE said: 'The National Ambulance Service (NAS) confirms that all necessary safety inspections into the two recent vehicle fires have now been completed. These incidents involved one emergency ambulance and one community paramedic response vehicle, both of which were unoccupied at the time and resulted in no injuries.

'Following an urgent assessment by technical experts, a potential issue involving auxiliary battery systems was identified in a limited subset of NAS vehicles. As a precaution, a comprehensive inspection programme was immediately undertaken in collaboration with vehicle and sub-system suppliers.

'All affected vehicles have now been inspected, remote battery monitoring has been implemented, and reminders on vehicle safety checks have been issued to operational staff. All NAS vehicles remain available for service.

'The NAS is fully committed to the safety of our staff, patients, and the public as our top priority, and will continue to work closely with fleet and safety partners to monitor this issue.'