Two fire appliances from Ramsey and the Duty Officer from Douglas responded at approximately 08:00 hours on Monday 18th November to the report of an acetylene cylinder on fire at the Point of Ayre sand quarry.
 
On arrival crews were able to confirm that an acetylene cylinder had become involved in what was a minor fire. Because of the unpredictable nature of Acetylene and how it can behave after it has been involved in fire a 200m cordon was established which required a road closing order to be effected for the Ayres Road.
 
Once the initial stages of the incident had been dealt with, cordons put in place and pumps set into a water supply to provide a cooling jet and after liaison between the Fire Service, the Health & Safety Inspectorate and the Quarry Operator, the cylinders were then left in situ to allow natural venting. A crew of firefighters were left on site to monitor the cylinder and ensure the cordons remained in place. By approximately 11:00 hours on Tuesday 19th November the cylinder was in a condition to allow cooling with water jets which could take up to 24 hours for the cylinder be confirmed as safe.