'Incredibly disappointing and completely senseless': Anger after Toy box at Cork beach set alight

Councillors have said what appeared to be the deliberate torching of a community toy box at Myrtleville Beach could have had serious repercussions for the wider area had surrounding dry vegetation caught fire.

The toy box, made by members of Carrigaline Men’s Shed earlier this year, encouraged children visiting the beach to borrow a toy, and to put their own unwanted toys in the box after their visit for another child to enjoy.

The idea being to reduce plastic waste going in the sea.

Fianna Fáil’s Audrey Buckley described the incident as “incredibly disappointing and completely senseless.

“The toy box was built and maintained by community volunteers to bring a little joy to local children. To see it deliberately set on fire is heartbreaking,” she said.

“What makes it even more concerning is that this happened so soon after the recent Camden fire, where we all saw how quickly a small fire escalated and came dangerously close to homes.

“The same could easily have happened here if the vegetation behind the toy box had caught fire.”

The recent wildfire at Camden Fort Meagher in Crosshaven earlier this month started in grassland and quickly grew out of control, with the blaze coming within feet of up to 30 properties in the area.

Deliberately targeted

Ms Buckley it would appear the toy box was “deliberately targeted”, and called on anyone who witnessed anything suspicious to get in touch with gardaí who she said are investigating the issue.

“The Myrtleville Community Group won’t let this deter them. They have always shown incredible community spirit, and I’m confident they’ll rebuild and continue creating something special for local children.”

Fine Gael councillor for the area, Jack White, said: “This could have been a very serious incident. On such a dry cliff face, with houses in close proximity, there was real potential for this fire to spread much further.

“Thankfully it was contained before that happened, but it serves as a stark reminder of how quickly fires can take hold in these conditions. It’s deeply disappointing that a valued community amenity appears to have been deliberately targeted.”

He also encouraged anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious or who has any information to contact gardaí, and said that he has been in touch with Cork County Council regarding the clean-up of the area and the replacement of the toy box.