Gardaí were also called to the scene

The fire in Deerpark last night (Image: VF)

As the current spell of dry weather continues, it’s been an enormously busy few weeks for fire crews nationwide, with many battling major wildfires that have raged across beauty spots. Despite the increased workload, Cork’s firefighters are still as sharp as ever, responding to a blaze on the southside last night within minutes of it being called in.

Members of the public alerted the Cork City Fire Brigade to a car fire in the Deerpark area shortly before midnight, and a crew arrived at the scene within 5 minutes. The car was completely engulfed by the time they arrived, but firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.

A single fire appliance attended the scene as the car was a safe distance from the nearby buildings, and after examining the vehicle, firefighters elected to inform Gardaí. Arson is the leading cause of car fires, and while the scene was briefly examined by Gardaí, it’s understood that no foul play was involved in last night’s incident.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed to CorkBeo: “Gardaí and the fire service responded to a report of a car on fire in the Deerpark Area, Cork City, that occurred at approximately 11:40 pm on Sunday, 26th July 2026.”

Flames had completely engulfed the car(Image: VF)

According to AA Ireland, spontaneous car fires such as this are fairly rare and are most often caused by mechanical or electrical faults. As car safety standards continue to improve, these fires are becoming less common, with data from the US showing an 80% reduction over the last 40 years.

However, there have been a number of arson investigations sparked across Cork city and county in recent months. In May of this year, two homes in Cork city were hit in separate firebombing incidents, with the occupants thankfully escaping uninjured on both occasions.

Elsewhere in Cork, an arson investigation remains underway after a fire broke out in Crosshaven earlier this month. It is believed the fire, which prompted a major emergency response, may have been accidentally started by a group of young people in the area.

Paul Brierly, Station Officer at Crosshaven Fire Brigade, said the emergency services received “31 calls in the space of eight minutes” as thick smoke filled the sky. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but Paul said that it was a close call, with one house “within two feet” of going up in flames.