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No reports of casualties as major fire rages at building complex in north Dublin city

Roads are closed in the area as emergency services deal with the blaze at the Metro Hotel complex in Ballymun.

dfb5 Twitter / Dublin Fire Brigade Twitter / Dublin Fire Brigade / Dublin Fire Brigade

21/3/2018. Metro Hotel Fire Ballymun. Photo: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie Dublin Fire Brigade firefighters battling the blaze at the Metro Hotel complex in Ballymun this evening Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

5 Twitter / John Sheridan Twitter / John Sheridan / John Sheridan

Updated 10.41pm

AT LEAST 12 firefighting vehicles from Dublin Fire Brigade are currently dealing with a fire on the top floors of a building in Ballymun on the northside of Dublin city.

The building in question is the Metro Hotel complex at Santry Cross. Authorities first became aware of the blaze shortly after 8pm.

Road closures are in place as emergency services continue to deal with the situation. It’s understood that traffic in the area is currently at a standstill and that drivers should use alternate routes if possible.

It has now been confirmed by Dublin Fire Brigade that all occupants of the building were successfully evacuated. It’s understood that those evacuated were moved to a nearby hotel.

At present Dublin Fire Brigade says it has no record of any casualties resulting from the fire.

“It is the case that everyone is safe,” said local Fine Gael TD Noel Rock. “Some families were affected from the apartments above the hotel, but everyone is safe.”

The fire has spread across at least five floors at the top of the complex, with the ninth and twelfth floors visibly the worst affected.

Firefighters wearing specialist breathing apparatus are now inside the building amid ongoing efforts to extinguish the blaze.

In the last few minutes firefighters have got a hose through onto the 9th floor. The blaze has been much reduced visibly in the last hour according to witnesses on the ground on the outside.

It’s understood that the Metro hotel comprises the lower part of the building, with the floors which are visibly on fire containing apartments, though those units are part of the same complex.

At least 12 units, including several specialist firefighting vehicles have attended the scene, while a mobile command centre has also been set up.

Other emergency service vehicles on scene include ambulances, Garda vehicles, ESB networks units, and county council vehicles.

A crowd of several hundred people has been drawn to the blaze, which is being kept behind a number of cordons.

Local councillor Noeleen Reilly, who is nearby, earlier said that the blaze appeared to be across several floors of the complex.

20180321_213307 TheJournal.ie / Daragh Brophy TheJournal.ie / Daragh Brophy / Daragh Brophy

Tweet by @Nikki Hayes Nikki Hayes / Twitter Nikki Hayes / Twitter / Twitter

It had been suggested that the building was at one time used to house homeless families in the Dublin area – however it has since emerged that no homeless persons have stayed at the Metro for at least the last 12 months, and that Dublin Regional Homeless Executive’s contract in the area is with a separate hotel.

With reporting from Daragh Brophy

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    Mute David Van-Standen
    Favourite David Van-Standen
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    May 28th 2022, 8:35 AM

    Give it another six months and if the price of everything keeps increasing as it has in the last six months, people might be living on spuds!

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    Mute James Fox
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    May 28th 2022, 11:31 AM

    @David Van-Standen: spuds ain’t cheap to buy either

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    Mute Aurelio Na Fodhla
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    May 28th 2022, 11:56 AM

    @James Fox: cheap to grow. I’ve about 80 plants growing

    29
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    Mute
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    May 28th 2022, 10:20 AM

    How come chippies are complaining about the price of potatoes and their suppliers are blaming it on the war saying a lot of potatoes they use are imported. Example My local chippie has t2 stores he gets a HGV load of potatoes once/twice a week he’s getting them potatoes in from UK and parts of Eastern Europe inc Ukraine pre war. This country should be self sufficient in veg.

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    Mute Paul Guckian
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    May 28th 2022, 10:04 AM

    How come we cannot buy any frozen chips that are made in Ireland? Not only should be able to, it should be a major export commodity as well.

    62
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    Mute Finola Thorn
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    May 28th 2022, 11:22 AM

    Bring back (in supermarkets) the option to pick your own spuds. I personally never get through even a small bag before they go off. Being able to pick the amount you need for one meal would be helpful and I’m sure more people like me, would be more inclined to buy.

    51
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    Mute OConnelj
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    May 28th 2022, 11:37 AM

    @Finola Thorn: I bought 2 potatoes yesterday!

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    Mute OConnelj
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    May 28th 2022, 11:38 AM

    @OConnelj: in a supermarket.

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    May 28th 2022, 12:02 PM

    @OConnelj: wrapped in plastic no doubt

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    Mute Eddie O'Neill
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    May 28th 2022, 1:26 PM

    @Finola Thorn: I would completely agree on that, same for other fruit and vegetables. They don’t care if you have to throw out produce gone bad, they sell you a bigger bag than you need because they can charge you more for it. That’s all they are interested in, your money and getting it from your pocket into their till. The days of Superquinn are long gone now.

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    Mute OConnelj
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    May 28th 2022, 5:12 PM

    @Jason Walsh: nope loose.

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    Mute Kate Peters
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    May 28th 2022, 5:47 PM

    @Finola Thorn: I live on my own,and I go to the veg man,he has a stall,and has every kind of fruit veg and potatoes,I’d say can I get 4 r 6 potatoes,it’s no problem,he has veg u get in the supermarket,and he has the carrots,onions with the stalks still on them,they have only been picked,or often in Butchers they would have a paper bag of potatoes,and u can fill your own,I hope u find someplace near u

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    May 28th 2022, 8:44 AM

    A Polish friend of mine was asking me wan time which were better, Polish Potatoes or Irish Potatoes? I said to him: That dipinds on whether you are ating dem yurselves, or fading dem to de cattle.

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    Mute Lien Lynch
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    May 28th 2022, 8:36 AM

    Sounds like he has a bit of a chip about it

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    Mute Niall O'Reilly
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    May 28th 2022, 3:09 PM

    Potatoes are so flexible. I love them as boxty. New potatoes are delicious just add butter and a pinch of salt. Roasted or boiled in their jackets or mashed with milk, scallions, butter and chives. Or served baked in cream. Or as pommes Anna. Or pommes dauphinois! Or Créme fraiche potatoes. The list is endless!! Gan féasta gan prátaí!

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