A Wexford publican lost his licensed premises in a fire yesterday morning.
The pub of John and Marcella Cowman, Clohamon, Bunclody, was completely destroyed in the blaze, with only the perimeter walls left standing.
The fire alert was raised by a passerby who observed smoke billowing from an overhead floor and contacted the emergency services.
As the upstairs of the premises is let out in flats to foreign nationals it was at first feared they might have been trapped in the building, but it was later ascertained that they had returned home for Christmas.
Five units fought the blaze, with the fire services from Gorey, Enniscorthy and Bunclody on the scene for several hours before bringing it under control around 1pm.
Two units remained at the scene for several more hours as they continued to damp down the building.
Supt John Roche of Gorey said the fire started on the first floor, spreading quickly through the building, causing extensive damage to the lounge, bar and function room, while the upstairs apartments were completely destroyed.
He said that gardaí from Wexford station were carrying out an inspection of the premises, but it is believed the cause of the blaze may have been an electrical fault.