In pictures: Fire causes widespread damage to Castlerea building

Widespread fire damage was caused to a derelict building overnight in Castlerea.

Several units of the fire service, two ambulances and Gardai attended the scene of the fire in the derelict building adjacent to the Riverside apartments at the back of Main Street in the town on St. Stephen’s night.

The fire broke out in the vacant building on St. Stephen’s night at around 11 p.m..

Gardaí say that the building in which the fire broke out was vacant, but it is surrounded by several occupied apartments.

Gardaí confirmed to the Roscommon Herald that they “and other emergency services attended the scene of a fire at a vacant building in Castlerea at approximately 11 p.m. on Tuesday, December 26th. Local fire services extinguished the fire.” Enquiries are ongoing.

The unoccupied building had been earmarked for a creche when the development was first constructed several years ago.

However, in recent years it had become derelict and had been vandalised on several occasions.

Fianna Fail Councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice has paid tribute to all the emergency services that attended the scene and all those who worked for several hours to access the building and bring the blaze under control.

He stressed that the fire, once again, raised the urgent need for a fire service based in the town.

Cllr Fitzmaurice said that he was not taking away from the good job done by the fire services that did attend and their quick response to the situation, but he said it again highlighted the urgent need for a town the size of Castlerea to have its own fire service based in the town.

The councillor stressed that the town’s fire service had been closed now for several years, but it was an issue that must be revisited.

With a new model of fire service due to be rolled out this year, the Fianna Fail councillor said that the Castlerea situation had to be seriously looked at and a fire service based in the town re-instated.