RTE Fair City star opens up on explosive storyline as Carrigstown residents face billowing inferno
Rebecca Grimes, who is one of the longest-standing residents of Carrigstown playing Hayley Collins, sits down to talk to the Irish Mirror about the latest plotline for Fair City's 35th anniversary
![RTE Fair City star opens up on explosive storyline as Carrigstown residents face billowing inferno](https://europe.easybranches.com/uploads/news/2024/09/6769779.jpg)
Fair City star Rebecca Grimes has opened up about the soap’s explosive storyline that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.
Rebecca, who is one of the longest- standing residents of Carrigstown playing Hayley Collins, sits down to talk to the Irish Mirror about the latest plotline for its 35th anniversary.
She said: “We all got burned. Literally. It was really great, and it was like, it’s just great when you do something a little bit different, you know, and like a new crew doing things with you.
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“It was all really well controlled. But it was a weird thing, like we had fire brigades, fire people, ambulance and paramedics and you’re thinking, ‘Are they all actors or are they actually real people as well?’. It was amazing to see and with such a technical thing like that, it was just amazing to see how well organised it is and how many people it takes. It’s super realistic and they were like dropping flaming debris… it was amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”
Her co-star Matthew O’Brien, who plays sugar daddy James Rafferty, teased that while he couldn’t speculate on any deaths, he said: “I know there’s injuries.”
![The Irish Mirror's Sandra Mallon in McCoy's pub on the set of Fair City](https://i2-prod.irishmirror.ie/incoming/article33617806.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_JS344372456.jpg)
Rebecca added: “There are casualties because there are people inside. That’s the thing. We don’t know that there are people inside. You know, so we initially see the building is on fire. We’re kind of thinking ‘that’s our investment literally going up in smoke before our eyes’ and that’s obviously harrowing enough.
“But then we learned that there’s people inside the building that obviously shouldn’t be in there and then it is a whole other kettle of fish. We could have blood on our hands.”
The storyline begins to unfold from Sunday night’s episode when Hayley is determined to make the Carrigstown site a success so that she can rub it in Rafferty’s face. The soap storyline unravels as the episodes air as Hayley tries to ease James’s worry about her plan to save the site.
James isn’t happy when Hayley consults Damien for a quote. Anto is evasive when Hayley confronts him about his gambling. Hayley is undeterred by Damien’s worry that there might be a rough sleeper on the site. James is peeved when Hayley agrees to Damien’s quote upfront.
Hayley rejects Anto’s concern over the Rafferty site. Anto is euphoric when he wins big on a gambling app. Hayley is dejected when the bank refuses her loan which would cover Damien’s costs and save the site. James confides in Anto that Hayley can’t accept the site is a lost cause. Damien rejects a spiralling Hayley’s attempts to knock him down on price. On September 15, Carrigstown will be surrounded by billowing smoke.
![Behind the scenes picture of filming of Fair City.
This month marks a special milestone for RTÉ's flagship drama series as it celebrates its 35th anniversary. The series was first launched on September 18, 1989. With over 5,000 episodes broadcast since its debut, Fair City has established itself as a cultural cornerstone of Irish television, providing audiences with unforgettable characters and compelling storylines. To commemorate this momentous milestone, the popular soap will return to four episodes per week, with Friday night episodes resuming from September 20. Audiences can also anticipate action-packed storylines to mark the anniversary running throughout September](https://i2-prod.irishmirror.ie/incoming/article33617805.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_JS344385762.jpg)
James forces Hayley to cut her losses with the site and move on. Damien approaches Hayley and James to renegotiate but it spirals into an argument. Sharon interrupts the fighting with news that the site is ablaze. At the burning site, James and Damien get into a confrontation as they try to place blame on one another. They learn that there are people inside.
Hayley and James panic when Damien reminds them that there are gas cylinders in the basement. Hayley and James wonder how the fire could have started.
Rebecca added: “It’s a real honour to be involved in something that’s running for so many years.”
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