Mr Doherty told the inquiry that NIFRS had first received a report of a bomb alert in Omagh shortly after 3pm on August 15 1998 and sent two appliances and two supervisory officers.
Firefighters searched through the rubble of the Omagh bomb not knowing if they would find family and friends among the dead, a public inquiry has heard.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) area commander David Doherty described the emergency response which followed the Real IRA bombing of the Co Tyrone town in August 1998.
Mr Doherty said the operation was escalated when resources from other fire stations in Northern Ireland began to arrive.
He said: “Firefighters and officers were met at the scene by hundreds of casualties, screaming and in distress, and suffering injuries ranging from severe shock, burns and dismemberment.”.
