Technical experts were yesterday trying to establish the cause of a fire that extensively damaged business premises and goods in Ennis, Co Clare.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage was done to McInerneys electrical shop and Sullivans carpet shop in Carmody Street after the fire broke out shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Firemen prevented the blaze from spreading to the Ennis Youth Employment Centre and the ESB offices. Six units were called to the scene and a hydraulic platform had to be brought in from Shannon.
No one was injured in the fire, which is believed to have started in a warehouse and took almost three hours to bring under control. Gardai are keeping an open mind on what happened and have appealed for public assistance.
Meanwhile, a plaque was unveiled yesterday to the eight people who died in Carmodys Hotel 40 years ago yesterday. A floor collapsed during a clearance auction of the hotel's contents after it had been sold. A woman in the vicinity of the hotel also collapsed and died.
Another victim was Capt A. C. Morgan, who was bringing photographs of the disaster to the Daily Express newspaper and was killed when his plane crashed on take-off at Shannon Airport. The commemorative plaque was unveiled by Ennis Urban District Council at the site of the demolished hotel.