A building containing a Chinese restaurant and offices was destroyed last night by a major fire in Ranelagh, south Dublin.
Three senior fire brigade officers co-ordinated 11 units – including two aerial appliances – as they battled for hours to stop the fire spreading to neighbouring buildings including McSorley’s public house.
The blaze is believed to have started in the kitchen of Wong’s Chinese restaurant on Sandford Road at about 3.45pm and spread to the roof through a ventilation duct. The exact cause was unknown last night.
It is understood there were people in the restaurant when the fire took hold. The roof of the building caved in and flames could be seen on the city’s skyline.
Dublin Fire Brigade was alerted to the incident by someone at the site with a mobile phone. An evacuation was being carried out when it arrived at the scene. There were no reports of any injuries.
Plumes of smoke
Smoke rose high above the building as five pumps sprayed water in through its shattered windows.
The Dublin Incident Command Unit was in control until the blaze abated and its members were relieved from duty at 6.40pm. This is the arm of the fire brigade dispatched for major fires so that there is a command centre on site, rather than just individual units.
An ambulance was on stand-by and nearby buildings were evacuated. The road was closed to traffic and pedestrians.
Incident commander Paul Elebert said the building would be destroyed by the time the fire was put out. “There is a lot of fire damage and there will be a lot of water damage by the time we are finished . . . This was a major fire.”
Gas supply in the immediate area was temporarily shut off for fear of explosion.
